Ghosts of Our Pasts
by Hey-Diddle-Diddle25
Summary: They've always told him that if he couldn't kill his demons then he needed to make some angels- only these people seemed like the furthest thing from angels there was. (Modern AU)
1. Chapter 1

**|| Disclaimer: not mine.**

**Also, it's a modernized version and- more acutely- a foster home au so things might be slightly changed. ||**

Deep down inside Ezra always sort of knew he couldn't run forever.

As long as hard as he could- most definitely- but not forever because, with his luck, getting caught was inevitable. That didn't mean he was going to make it easy for anyone and the large swollen nose the pissed off cop was now sporting in the next room over was testimony to that.

They busted him stealing- one of the only ways Ezra was positive he wouldn't go down for. Roaming the streets, sure. Loitering to stay warm and dry, probably. Stealing, no because he's been stealing stuff since he was seven and it was one of the only things he felt confident in.

The world, apparently, disagreed.

He managed to get three blocks away from the 24/7 convenient store before he saw the lights. Red, blue and the signal of trouble. And, like the idiot he was, he started running which only made him look infinitely more suspicious and- as he learned the hard way- police cars were quick.

He was quickly cornered and when the cop tried manhandling him into the backseat Ezra's elbow just so happened to smash into the cop's face and most likely broke his nose in the process. Something Ezra was capable of feeling a tiny bit guilty for if it wasn't for the fact that the cop was a complete jerk. Douchebag really. And the only reason Ezra was still there.

They- being the incredibly over-paranoid cops- forced him into this room after stealing his fingerprints and handcuffed him to the table so he wouldn't go anywhere without their permission. And the fact that Ezra's been stuck in this room for longer than five hours was starting to make him go more than a little crazy.

He wasn't claustrophobic- not even slightly- but he was an orphan, a street rat that didn't linger in one place longer than necessary. It was how he survived and this place had lost its appeal five hours ago. Not to mention his fingers were still grimy with the ink they used when they fingerprinted him and he really had to use the bathroom.

Finally- what felt like an eternity later- the door opened and Officer Swollen Nose walked in sporting a nasty black eye and even nastier glare. Ezra couldn't stop himself fast enough before a cocky smirk graced his lips and he hadn't even had enough time to prepare before his entire face was suddenly smashed against the wooden table.

"You think you're funny you little piece of street trash?" the officer challenged and Ezra still hadn't built enough internal defenses to stop that comment from stinging slightly.

That didn't stop him from saying something equal parts of sass and stupid.

"Actually I think I'm adorable and you're a joke of a cop so I don't need to tell you anything. Besides, you can't legally keep me here without a lawyer so…"

His face was promptly re-smashed against the table's surface, effectively cutting off his next sentence, which was probably for the best. Insulting police officers was definitely a new territory of stupid Ezra never thought he'd venture into. Then again he didn't think stealing would bring him down either so he supposed the world was just full of surprises.

By the time he managed to straighten back up, shaking away the stars clouding his vision, a thick folder was slammed in front of him and he didn't have to read the label to know whose it is. That didn't stop his eyes from glossing over the boldly typed name tab "**EZRA** **BRIDGER**."

Him.

He was so screwed.

Glancing back up at the cop only seemed to reinforce that thought as the officer's face now held only malice intent.

7 years ago after his parents were murdered Ezra ran away from the foster system. It wasn't because he'd been trying for the delinquent lifestyle back then but because it was at a very young age he realized the world was evil and police are useless. _All_ police- including dark, mean and ugly still grinning like a shark.

Ezra steeled his expression, stubbornly refusing to give this guy any more pleasure in knowing he had him cornered, before he demanded in a voice made of ice and would've made Jack Frost shiver, "What's this?"

"This," the officer explained slow and deliberately as he shoved the folder closer to him, "is the file of the tragic life of Ezra Bridger. You, kid. And let me tell you, running away when you were 7 wasn't your smartest moves."

Perhaps not but there hasn't been a day yet that Ezra's felt even the slightest bit guilty over it. People were cruel and the only one a person can depend on is them self. Sucks but that's just life and Ezra's made his peace with it a long time ago.

But now, undoubtedly, Officer Jerk-Wad is going to ship him to the nearest foster home and enforce that he stay there or the next time he gets caught he'll spend his time behind bars. That is, _if_ he got caught again.

The officer bent over and dramatically opened the file, revealing the mug shot they took of him when they brought him in hours earlier. His natural raven hair was a mess and matted and look like it hadn't been cleaned in a while which, he supposed, it hadn't. And even to him he looked unnaturally skinny and sickly and it didn't take a genius to figure out he was a homeless orphan. A _kid_ living on the streets because they had nowhere else to go. Unwanted, unloved and unknown.

"Poor little Ezra Bridger," the officer continued to mock slowly, deliberately, and Ezra had to fight the stinging in the corner of his eyes when he caught a glimpse of the picture of his parents bodies, "Witnessing the murder of his parents. I can't imagine the horror that came with that."

Only his voice sounded a lot closer to mockery than sympathetic and Ezra felt his hands curl into fists as anger threatened to overwhelm him. He wished he could break free to blacken his other eye and perhaps break his nose again.

"Get to the point," Ezra ground out instead, tired of whatever game this joke of a cop wanted to play with him and- frankly- generally just tired. After all it was getting closer to the wee hours of the morning and Ezra just wanted to curl up and pretend the world can't affect him.

After all, it certainly didn't care for him for if it did then his parents wouldn't be dead and he'd be as innocent and young as any 14-year-old boy could be.

"You're in a load of trouble," the cop finished after a long pause as his hand unconsciously slammed the file on the table shut.

Ezra met his gaze unflinchingly and it was at that moment the door was thrown open and a woman dressed in a blue skirt and blazer strolled in, heels clicking on the tiled floor.

Blue eyes colder than Antarctica narrowed in on the officer as she demanded, "Who are you and what do you think you're doing?"

The cop, obviously flabbergasted, started floundering mouth slightly opened to respond before the woman held up a hand and replied equally as harsh, "It doesn't matter who you are. What do you think you're doing to a _minor _no less?"

The cop must have managed to regain some of his composure as he straightened and snapped, "What's it to you lady?"

The woman in turn straightened up impossibly more as she replied in a tone as bitter and destructive as frostbite, "I am with the Child Protective Services and if you'd hurt one hair on his hair then I'll bring the entire government on your sorry excuse for a carcass."

Harsh, for certain, but effective and entertaining. Ezra even had to stifle a laugh because the last thing he wanted was for the attention to return back to him.

The cop continued to imitate a fish out of water as the woman rolled her eyes again stepping further in the room and closer to them. To Ezra.

He shrunk back against his chair, wishing he had the ability to disappear forever because the last thing he wanted to be doing was go with this woman to who-knows-what-type of foster home. Foster parents.

"He's bleeding," the woman spoke cutting gaze turning back towards the man as she demanded, "Unlock his cuffs before you do anything else stupid."

The cop obeyed and Ezra immediately tucked his arms close to his body, rubbing the sore red marks they left behind. His gaze narrowed on him before her before turning away completely.

"Don't be afraid child," the woman commanded in a voice that resembled more drill sergeant than maternal and Ezra just wanted to shrink away forever, "We're leaving now."

And that was how Ezra found himself standing in front of a small white house with a plain wooden door and doormat that simply read "GHOST" and if he hadn't been so tired he would've acknowledged the sour twist in his gut as something more than hunger pains. He was so exhausted, however, he just wanted the door to open so he could get some sleep. And by his tired calculations, he's been awake for close to 26 hours now.

The woman knocked on the door once it was obvious Ezra was only going to stare tiredly at it and when it opened he was slightly surprised to see a tall dark skinned man still grinning at something behind him. Once he turned to face them, however, his expression changed. Turned more pensive and considerate.

"Hera Syndulla?" the woman asked suspiciously and the man just pursed thin lips as he shook his head.

"No," he denied like it was obvious (it kind of was, Ezra's exhausted brain supplied unhelpfully) before he continued, "I'm Kanan Jarrus. The co-owner of this home."

"Right," the woman drawled before thrusting the clipboard she'd been holding at him and demanded, "Either you or Miss Syndulla need to sign off on him then."

The 'him' was accompanied by a tilt of the head in Ezra's general direction and understanding seemed to flash in Kanan's gaze.

"Hera!" he called over his shoulder and a woman a little shorter than Kanan suddenly appeared at his side, warm green eyes taking in Ezra's every exhausted feature.

"He's bleeding," the motherly looking woman- Hera- pointed out with a tight frown as she bent over to gather his face in gentle hands bending his head up slightly so she could get a better look.

"They were inflicted before I got there," the CPS woman dismissed simply forcing the clipboard back in their general direction; Hera was the one who took it.

"Can you show the kid to his new room Love? Perhaps stitch him up before his wound becomes infected," the woman asked in a tone that left no room for arguing.

Kanan must have recognized it also because he nodded and led Ezra into the house which was just as plain as the outside. The walls were a light caramel color and the only thing on the wall was a huge mirror located so the first thing you saw when you entered was your reflection. Underneath the mirror was a mini table with a basket filled with junk.

"What's this?" Ezra asked before his brain could've told him that it was a stupid bad idea; at the same time he reached inside and came out with a cheap looking ring threaded on a piece of fishing line.

It looked useless and cheap and no one in their right mind would buy it but Kanan's blue-green eyes widened in panic and his next movements seemed slightly desperate.

"Don't touch that," he snapped snatching the object from Ezra's grasp, leaving the youth blinking in shock.

"Sorry?" Ezra asked confused as he stared up at Kanan's expressions carefully.

Kanan was cradling the necklace, holding it like it was the most delicate thing in the world, as he stared down at it with a guarded expression. Ezra still saw the pain in his eyes though, the pain that instantly faded after Kanan took a deep breath and set the necklace back in the basket.

"Rule number one: don't touch anything in here," Kanan informed still staring in the basket and all the useless junk it held.

Ezra glanced back at it, confused because it looked to be filled with trash. The ring-necklace. A pocketbook. A small journal. An empty box of markers. Trash. All of it.

"Why?" Ezra demanded reaching for something else, "It's all useless anyways."

This time Kanan struck his hand before he could touch anything and his eyes were burning when he turned back towards him; Ezra couldn't help but shrink away in fearful submission.

"If it's useless than don't touch," Kanan spoke carefully and in a way where it was obvious that he was holding back his temper.

"Alright," Ezra agreed bowing his head, "I won't touch."

Not that he had wanted to anyways. He was just curious as to why these people had a basket of trash.

Kanan let out another deep breath and the next time he spoke it was calmer and more controlled, "Come on. I'll show you to your new room."

Silently, Ezra followed him up the stairs and they stopped at the first door on the left. Kanan started speaking again but Ezra tuned him out once the door was opened revealing a room pigs would turn in disgust at.

"You've got to be kidding," Ezra choked holding his nose with his hand, "This place _reeks_."

Kanan frowned again but more as a disappointed father as he reassured, "I'll get Zeb to straighten up once he gets home."

"Zeb?" Ezra demanded incredulously, "What kind of name is Zeb?"

Which was the wrong thing to say because Kanan was frowning at him again and something in the frown twisted something deep inside him. Striking Ezra in the core and hurting him more than he ever thought possible.

"It's his name and if you want to keep your life then you won't bring it up again," Kanan warned, undertone of a threat evident; although something else inside Ezra told him it wouldn't be Kanan that'd punish him.

Ezra swallowed, nodding in understanding, as he quickly stepped past the man and in the room. It wasn't much better closer- most of the covers having been thrown off the bed where a box of half-eaten pizza had replaced them. Scattered on the floor were various types of dirty clothing and Ezra had to resist the urge to gag.

"You can sleep over there," Kanan spoke pointing to a bare mattress on top of a cheap metal bedframe that was probably one screw away from breaking, but Ezra was quickly learning not to back talk this man and just nodded going over to set his backpack on it. That was probably the only reason he saw it.

"Who's Luminara Unduli?" Ezra asked narrowing his eyes at the piece of tape on the frame's leg.

"No one," Kanan replied a little too quickly as he stepped past him to rip the tape off refusing to make eye contact as he crumpled it up in a ball and sighed, "I'll go get you some sheets."

Ezra nodded but didn't think Kanan saw. Then he was left alone in a room too messy to hold anything worth stealing much less anything valuable.

He sighed again, knees wobbling in exhaustion and he sank down on the mattress as his vision threatened to black out. Even prior to his most recent all-nighter he hasn't been getting much sleep- one or two hours a night- and it was like everything had caught up with him at once.

He isn't sure how long it took Kanan but when the man finally returned it was to him drifting off on a naked mattress.

"Kid you need to get up if you want me to put the sheets on for you," Kanan sighed and Ezra grumbled under his breath as he forced himself off the mattress.

It didn't take very long and soon Ezra was curling up on the mattress, dead to the world.

* * *

He awoke to someone glaring at him.

Rolling over on his side, he blinked bleary eyes open only to catch sight of a tall broad imposing figure hovering over his bed. Arms thicker than Ezra's thigh were crossed over each other as the man continued to glare at him and if looks could kill then Ezra would be dead a million times over.

Oh boy.

Ezra let out an undignified yell as he jumped back and away from the figure, hitting a wall and landed on the ground with a dull thud. The man didn't even flinch, just continued glaring as Ezra rubbed his head with one hand and used the other to support himself as he sat up.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ezra demanded as embarrassment filled him and the man just let out a snort that resembled a bull readying for an attack.

"I can ask you the same thing," the man grunted, dark beard making him look even more imposing and threatening then he already did.

"I _was_ trying to sleep," Ezra replied completely irritated at this guy now, "What were you doing?"

"Wondering what you were doing in my room," the man shot back and all the pieces filtered together and blue eyes widened in shock as realization struck.

"_You're_ Zeb?" Ezra demanded unable to keep the incredulous tone from his voice.

The man straightened slightly, eyes narrowing into slits that could cut through metal, as he repeated in a threatening growl, "Who are you?"

"Ezra," Ezra informed stomping on the fear this man gave him as he quickly added, "Your new roommate."

Then Zeb was moving and it was equally parts terrifying and amazing that someone so large could be so quick.

His arms uncrossed and he leaned across the bed so they were nose to nose as the large man _snarled_, "I don't need a roommate."

"Too bad," Ezra spoke before he could consider his words too carefully, "because you're stuck with me until either Kanan or Hera tell me otherwise."

At least the names seemed to jolt some sense in the large brute.

Green eyes blinked in shock as some tension ebbed away from Zeb's broad shoulders causing him to slump backwards slightly as he pondered out loud, "Kanan and Hera gave you this room?"

"Kanan did," Ezra replied still unsure blue eyes narrowed distrustfully.

Zeb sighed, bowing his head as his arms seemed to quiver slightly. He looked about one second from snapping completely and it left Ezra feeling uneasy and slightly sick.

Ezra wasn't really a people person and he didn't do well when people started invading his space on a good day, but the past week he's had was awful and this man looked capable of breaking him in half. Lucky for him, though, Zeb must hold Kanan's decisions to some sort of degree as he backed off.

"Sorry. If Kanan gave you this room then it must be for good reason," he decided and Ezra watched perplexed.

It wasn't every day he got to see a hulk of a man back off because of another man's word. A man that appeared much slimmer and less threatening yet now that Ezra was thinking about it, it made sense. After all, Kanan appeared older and was probably the father of the house and what he said Zeb had to follow.

The door opened and a female several years older than Ezra strolled in holding some sort of tablet and hadn't appeared to notice either one of them.

"Hey Zeb, I need some help with-" she glanced up, caught sight of Ezra and frowned as she asked, "Who's your new friend?"

"Ezra Bridger," Ezra quickly introduced rising to his feet and sticking out an awkward hand in introduction; she didn't take it.

Instead she glanced over at Zeb for clarification and the large man grunted again before muttering briefly, "We're not friends, Sabine."

"Oh right," she replied unconvinced before violet eyes landed on the bed and they widened considerably as she asked, "Is he a new resident?"

Zeb didn't reply and Ezra figured he shouldn't have to explain himself to these people. After all, if they didn't want him then that was fine. He didn't want to be around them either but until he can figure out a way of escaping without landing him in prison then they were all stuck with each other.

"Have fun chatting," he grumbled suddenly moving past both of them and out the door; it hadn't even shut all the way before their voices floated out to him.

"He acts as bratty as he looks."

"Come on Zeb. He's just a kid…"

Ezra cringed at the word, hating how everyone seemed to just view him as soon burden of a kid. Useless and unworthy of their time and, deep down inside, Ezra knew these people were going to get rid of him at the first chance they had. They all do and he'd be back struggling to survive.

He had been so focused on his thoughts that he had missed Hera until he collided with her in the hall. They both stumbled back but Hera recovered quicker and reached out to steady him. Ezra shoved her away.

"I'm fine," Ezra grumbled looking away from those compassionate green eyes as he continued, "Sorry. I wasn't paying attention."

"Want to talk about it?" Hera prodded gently and Ezra shook his head.

"No."

She blinked in shock before warm understanding seemed to blossom over her face as she reassured, "Well I'll always be here if you ever decide differently."

"I won't," Ezra snapped a little too quickly as he went to shoulder past her; her hand on his shoulder forced him to a stop.

"Ezra," she tried but Ezra shrugged her off.

"I told you already. I'm fine," Ezra replied before going down the stairs where his stomach grumbled, reminding him just how hungry he was.

The kitchen, like everything in this house apparently, was small and plain and so simple it was useless, but Ezra easily found some bread that he could munch on before something moved behind him. Curious, he spun only to be surprised by the German Shepherd baring its teeth at him suspiciously.

"Whoa. Nice doggy," Ezra tried raising both hands up in surrender, slice of bread forgotten as he tried to figure a way to escape from the dog's distrustful gaze.

The dog's eyes just narrowed further as it hunched back, posed for attack. At the same time, Kanan strolled in the kitchen and Ezra probably would've laughed at the comical way his eyes grew if his situation hadn't been so dire.

"No Chopper!" Kanan snapped and the dog seemed to relax slightly as it turned its glare towards Kanan as the man snapped, "Bad boy. You should know better."

The dog relaxed then, grunting like it couldn't believe what it was hearing but Ezra was just thankful it no longer looked ready to rip his throat out. He could've done without the part amused part sympathetic look Kanan suddenly gave him though.

"You alright kid?" he asked, mouth twitching in the beginning stages of a smile.

Ezra crossed his arms and puffed out his chest as he huffed, "I'm fine."

As if on cue, his stomach grumbled loudly in protest reminding everyone in the room the reason Ezra ever entered this room to begin with. Ezra, not wanting to draw any more attention to himself then he already had, wrapped his arms over his stomach and prayed Kanan hadn't heard.

Of course, his prayers went unanswered.

He raised a triangular eyebrow as he asked mirthfully, "You hungry?"

There really was no sense of lying now so Ezra just nodded, dropping his gaze to the ground and- not for the first time since arriving- wished he could just rob these people blind and leave without a trace. They just so happened to own nothing of any value and Ezra wasn't allowed to leave. Not yet, anyways.

He sat at the kitchen table, watching with careful blue eyes as Kanan moved gracefully through the kitchen- pulling out plates and peanut butter and grape jelly and soon Ezra was eating his first peanut butter and jelly sandwich in over 7 years.

And they were as delicious as he remembered.

"Whoa. Slow down. Don't want to make yourself sick," Kanan chided as he gently eased the sandwich from his mouth and set a large glass of milk in front of him.

Ezra didn't reply. Just gave him a strange look as he slowed down and soon all the food was gone and Ezra felt better than he had in a long time.

"Thank you," he muttered as he rose from his seat to go back to his room.

Zeb and Sabine were gone but Ezra found he didn't mind all that much. He just went over to his bed and laid out on his stomach, hugging the pillow close. He hadn't even been here a whole day yet he felt comfortable. Safe and that was dangerous, he knew. Besides he really shouldn't get too comfy considering he wasn't planning on staying.

Yet something about these people (or, at least, Hera and Kanan) felt different. Good.

"Don't be stupid Ezra," he chided to himself softly as blue eyes clenched shut, "They're no different than any of the others and once they see you as a burden then back on the streets you go."


	2. Chapter 2

2:

The first week was tough.

It was almost _painfully_ obvious how unwelcome Ezra was by both Zeb and Chopper, and the idea of living with the two nightmares was enough to nearly drive him mental.

For one, Zeb never tided up their room. If anything, he made the mess worst and when Hera decided Ezra needed to go to school Zeb had refused to give him a ride, which was fine. Zeb was 21 and didn't even go to school but instead worked at some gun shop downtown. No, what made Ezra's skin practically burn with agitation was when he turned to Sabine, who was 16 and very much still in school, and asked if _she _needed a ride.

One look at Ezra's stunned expression and she denied it, which Ezra appreciated but the knowledge that it had come from pity still left a sour taste in his mouth. And almost immediately after her reply Zeb was shooting him a glare that reeked of animosity- like it was Ezra's fault Sabine said no because he was being a jerk.

Ezra matched his glare with an impressive one of his own before Chopper banged on his leg and nipped at his ankle, causing him to cry out as he stumbled back and away from the sharp teeth. Both Zeb and Sabine broke out in peals of laughter and Ezra's face burned and ears rang with embarrassment.

School wasn't much better either; it was still as awful as he remembered.

The teachers were jerks who needed to learn the term "power-abuse" because they certainly enjoyed wielding their power over their students. And, in return, the students became either rebellious jerks or arrogant teacher pets. All except Sabine who, he quickly learned, was neither. She was gorgeous and popular and top of her class and no one had anything bad to say about her ever.

Unfortunately for Ezra, he didn't earn any special treatment just because he now lived with her. If anything, it made everything worst because whereas Sabine is smart and talented Ezra was lucky if he even remotely understood what anybody was talking about. Understandable, Hera reassured him the third day he came home from school grumbling angrily, since he hadn't attended an actual school prior to running away all those years ago.

Ezra had nothing to reply to that, instead he walked up to his room to stare at his homework for hours before giving up and, eventually, declaring it useless since there was no way he could stay much longer. The place was small and the closest thing to home he's had since he was 7, but he felt like a stranger. An unwanted stranger they all just tolerate because the government told them too.

So he lived in the shadows, forgotten and ignored which was easier than it probably should have been.

Hera and Kanan work from home so they're always there but at the same time never really are. Each of them have their own offices they hole themselves in for hours at a time. Zeb worked constantly, and when he wasn't working he was out partying and he's woken Ezra up plenty of times when he stumbled in their room in the wee hours of the morning noisily. Sabine was an art prodigy and stayed after school every day for hours to attend art club and study to prepare for when she got into college and whenever she was home she was in her room

So minimizing his contact with each of them was simple.

Or, at least, minimizing his contact with all of them except Chopper was simple.

The dog seemed to have an infinite amount of free time and must have been smart enough to not pester Hera or Kanan with it. Unfortunately for Ezra, that meant all that pent up energy and free time was directed towards him, which wouldn't have been so bad if Chopper hadn't decided Ezra was his new chew toy.

"Ow Chopper!" Ezra exclaimed after three hours of ignoring the less-than-playful bites were unsuccessful and Chopper- having grown irritated from Ezra ignoring him- chomped at Ezra's leg.

It didn't penetrate any skin but it still hurt and earned the dog his full angry attention.

"What do you want?" Ezra demanded as the dog just continued to stare lazily at him eyes conveying the boredom he was surely feeling.

The same eyes that held a hint of distrust and it didn't slip Ezra's attention that ever since his arrival Chopper's watched him carefully. Like he expected the kid to rob them blind and disappear somewhere in the middle of the night, which was accurate enough Ezra couldn't find it inside him to be offended.

"Alright. You know what, come on. I'm taking you for a walk," Ezra decided because- maybe, just maybe- if he exhausted Chopper then he'd leave him alone. He hoped so.

After a quick search, he found the dog's leash in a cabinet under the TV and clicked it on the dog's collar before leaving through the back door in the kitchen.

The neighborhood was as small and humble as the house- or, the Ghost, as Hera was so fond of calling it for some strange reason. Ezra still hadn't managed to figure out that last part, had the creeping suspicion that it was some inside joke he wasn't allowed in on.

Not that it mattered because he didn't care. He only did what he needed to do in order to survive, yet recently he's caught himself slipping away in thoughts someone that needed to be on constant alert had no business partaking in. Like the basket filled with junk or the fact that he now lived in a place often referred to as the Ghost.

A cat hissed about the same time Chopper jerked on his leash and Ezra was literally yanked from his thoughts. Blinking blue eyes, Ezra jerked back on the leash successfully stalling Chopper long enough for the orange and white tabby to escape up a tree.

Chopper made a low noise as he turned an accusatory glare back at Ezra, causing the youth to gawk because there was no freaking way a _dog_ was telling him off mentally. There was just no way.

And yet, here he was as Chopper returned to glare at the cat; the cat in return stuck its back further up, hissing and swatting its claw in air before Chopper lost interest and continued to trot down the sidewalk, still yanking Ezra behind him.

"Whoa. Hold up," Ezra protested as he regained his footing and quickened his stride so he was able keep pace with the German Shepard and not fall on his face like an idiot, "I'm the one who's supposed to be walking you, remember."

Chopper didn't reply but Ezra figured it would have been crazier if he had. After all, he was a _dog_\- a very clever dog, yes, but a dog nonetheless.

"I've lost it," Ezra decided speaking aloud and earning Chopper's judgmental gaze.

_Of_ _course_ the dog was now judging him too. He's done everything else thus far and has probably put more effort in harassing him then Zeb has.

"Don't judge me," Ezra snapped quicker than he could stop himself and then nearly slapped his forehead because he was actually talking to the dog.

Chopper just huffed again, continuing to trot forward like he owned the place. Ezra didn't think he would have been surprised if he discovered that he secretly did.

They lapsed back into silence, this time Ezra adamantly refusing to allow his thoughts to drift even the slightest bit because there was no way he was allowing for Chopper to jerk him around again. After all, Chopper was strong and had some power when he wanted to and just the simple movement of lunging forward nearly wrenched Ezra's shoulder out from place.

So they walked silently, Ezra keeping a careful gaze on the dog who was more than content to smelling every freaking plant they come across- something Ezra had the suspicious feeling he did just to aggravate him. And Ezra had kept such a watchful eye on the dog that he missed when they suddenly stumbled upon the less then desirable part of town.

"Uh… Chopper," Ezra spoke jerking on the leash to get the dog to stop as wide blue eyes took in their surroundings, "We should probably start heading back now."

Not because Ezra was scared but because if they didn't then there was an extremely high chance of him getting mugged and Chopper shot. Then again, the dog would probably just run away at the beginning signs of trouble leaving Ezra alone to fend for himself.

Chopper did stop but that was all he appeared willing to do.

The overgrown dog turned his head slightly to give Ezra a disgruntled look the youth choose to ignore. There was no way he was going to start reading into the giant animal's expressions more so then he already had. Chopper was a dog, and his brain just wasn't big enough to understand what was going on.

After several tense seconds of doing absolutely nothing but stand around like an idiot, Chopper must have gotten bored because the next second he was jerking Ezra forward and Ezra had to practically choke him into submission.

"We shouldn't be here," Ezra whispered like he was sharing some sacred secret with the animal before turning to go the way they came, "Come on."

Chopper wasn't having any of it.

He jerked on the leash again, nearly wrenching Ezra's arm from its socket, as he stubbornly tried to go further in the crime ridden neighborhood.

"Chopper!" Ezra screamed growing increasingly more frustrated at the dog's insistence.

Chopper glanced at him again and internally started to laugh at him, and Ezra's never been laughed at by a dog; it left him feeling agitated and waiting to scream and rant forever.

He opened his mouth to shout when Chopper's ears suddenly perked up and his hackles rose as he hunched forward growling threateningly- all playful mirth now gone. And Ezra's heard Chopper growl plenty of times in the past week but this time was different. It seemed more guarded. More threatening.

"Whoa boy. What's wrong?" Ezra asked kneeling beside the German Shepard to stroke at his fur gently. Comfortingly.

Chopper just bolted forward, wrenching free from Ezra's sudden lax grip. Ezra jerked backwards in surprise before leaping to his feet, screaming at the retreating form of the dog.

"Chopper!" he shouted and when he didn't slow down or show any signs he had even heard Ezra realized he either had to leave him or go after him.

Leaving him was the most tempting offer but he knew Hera would probably kill him if she knew he had left her dog in the worst neighborhood there was and he was a lot more scared of her then anything this neighborhood had to offer. At least, he was 99% sure he was more scared of her.

"Aw, Chopper," he grunted under his breath jogging after him, "You better be worth it."

And he wasn't hard to catch up too- Ezra found him growling at something in an alleyway, back hunched and teeth snarled in an almost feral looking frown.

"What's gotten into you?" Ezra demanded slowing down to a stop so he could retrieve the leash before straightening up.

"That you're dog kid?" a voice suddenly demanded and it was like all of Ezra's blood turned to ice as he leapt back and away from the source of the voice.

A man was standing several feet away, arms crossed and stance trying for lazy but had an obvious edge to it. Brown eyes seemed to seize him up and Ezra felt like a mouse being watched by a hungry cat. Beside him, Chopper continued to growl and Ezra realized the man was waiting for him to respond.

"Uh… yeah, he's mine," Ezra quickly reassured clutching his end of the leash with white knuckles as he swallowed thickly.

The man continued to consider him for a long second before he snorted, "If you want my suggestion then keep him on a tighter leash."

"Will do," Ezra chirped as he yanked on the leash, signaling for Chopper to follow him.

Chopper glanced at him, must have decided to ignore everything that came from Ezra's mouth, before lunging at the man. Ezra barely managed to jerk Chopper back to a stop when the sound of a gunshot cracked through the air. Ezra felt his blood transform to ice as his stomach plummeted in shock. Luckily, Chopper froze too and both sets of eyes were on the brunette man pointing a gun in their direction still wearing a lazy expression.

"I would not suggest for your dog to attempt that again," the man warned, eyes narrowed into dangerous slits and he looked like the stereotypical villain with his bushy sideburns highlighting his menacing expression.

"Uh… sorry," Ezra stuttered tumbling over his words before he yanked on the leash again and hissed, "Come _on_ Chopper."

Yet the dog still refused to move, instead returning to growl at the man with the gun.

The man cocked the hammer back calmly and the last thing Ezra wanted to do was explain to Hera how he got her dog shot- that is, if he escaped with his life so he was capable of explaining anything to her ever again.

"Chopper!" Ezra shouted with a desperate tug on the leash and the dog straightened back so he could consider Ezra a little more seriously.

He must have realized it wasn't worth it as he followed without much more protest and once they were out of eyesight from the man, Chopper _bolted_, sprinting away from the alley with a speed that had Ezra nearly falling flat on his face.

"Chopper!" he protested as his legs struggled to keep up.

Chopper didn't stop nor slow down until the alley was out of their sight. Then he was slamming to a stop and Ezra barely had enough time to stop, nearly colliding over the dog's stubborn body. And now that they were safe, anger was quick to overcome everything inside him.

"What. Was. That?" Ezra demanded through desperate pants for oxygen as he resisted the urge to kick Chopper on the leg.

Chopper gave him an unimpressed look, one that seemed to scream _'Why did you bother trying to stop me?'_

Ezra felt like pulling his hair out of his scalp. Or screaming. Whichever came first.

"You nearly got us both killed!" Ezra exclaimed and this time did kick Chopper on one of his legs.

It wasn't hard enough to actually injury him but it got his point across.

Chopper snarled angry teeth at him, making a move as if he was going to bite Ezra. Ezra was still running on lingering adrenaline and could be quick when he wanted and he easily danced away from the snapping teeth.

"This isn't a game," Ezra snapped a safe distance away and before he could stop himself from lecturing to a dog, "You nearly got both me and you shot _over_ _attacking a stranger_!"

Chopper's expression seemed to narrow as he continued growling at him and another thought suddenly struck Ezra- leaving him blinking in surprise.

"Unless…" he murmured something flittering together in sudden clarity as blue eyes widened in shock as he exclaimed, "You knew him!"

It came out a bit more accusatory then he intended but Ezra didn't care because how in the world would a dog like _Chopper_ know someone like _that man_? And based on Chopper's reaction at seeing him, Ezra would've bet money it wasn't a fond memory.

"Oh crap!" Ezra exclaimed as he ran hands through his hair as all the pieces seemed to come together, "You did, didn't you? You knew him! How do you know him?"

Chopper just blinked, snorted before turning his head away unamused. Except Ezra was sick of being treated like an annoying gnat by the large dog and kicked him in the leg again.

"How do you know him?" Ezra repeated as soon as Chopper turned to growl pearly white teeth at him.

Chopper's expression seemed to portray the dog considering something before he bolted forward again and didn't stop until they were in front of the gun shop Zeb worked at- something Ezra only knew because seconds after stopping out front the door slammed open, revealing Ezra's surly roommate.

"What are you two doing here?" Zeb demanded, anger dripping from his voice as Chopper blinked unimpressed eyes up at him before lurching free from Ezra's grasp and ducked underneath Zeb's legs.

"You useless mutt!" Zeb exclaimed the same time Ezra screamed, "Chopper!"

Chopper ignored them both, instead jumped gracefully over the counter and through a door leading to a back room. Ezra could've sworn he saw Zeb pale slightly.

Not even a split second later an angry voice screamed, "Zeb!"

"Sorry sir!" Zeb immediately apologized about the same time Chopper exited the back room clutching something in his teeth.

Ezra recognized it as an old tattered wallet and he blinked in confusion as Zeb angrily wrenched the thing free before shoving both Ezra and Chopper out the front door. As soon as it closed behind him Zeb's intense glare focused in on Ezra.

"You better have a good explanation," Zeb warned threateningly.

Ezra blinked before frowning and exclaimed, "It's not my fault. Chopper's been pulling me around all town!"

"You're blaming the dog?" Zeb demanded arms crossed and eyebrows raised unimpressed.

"Yes!" Ezra exclaimed before he realized what he said and instantly corrected, "No! I don't know! All that I know is that we ran off and nearly got shot by some brown headed man with sideburns and-"

"Wait. What?" Zeb interrupted both hands suddenly grabbing onto Ezra's biceps with a ferociousness that was as surprising as it was painful.

"Ow," Ezra whined suddenly, "What's wrong with you?"

"Are you sure it was a brown headed man with sideburns?" Zeb demanded ignoring Ezra's question as he shook him roughly.

"Ow! Yes I'm sure!" Ezra replied trying to wrench himself free, "Why? Do you know him?"

Zeb froze, posture tense and eyes clouded and Ezra blinked again as the realization that both Chopper and Zeb knew the man from the alley- the thought leaving a slight cold chill to creep down his spine.

"His name is Robert Kallus," Zeb explained suddenly, voice lost somewhere in the past and Ezra vaguely wondered what he was thinking about.

"And you know him?" Ezra asked dumbly because of course Zeb knew him; he wouldn't have reacted like _this_ unless he knew him.

Zeb just grunted softly in the back of his throat, hands trailing down Ezra's arms as he muttered almost under his breath, "Yeah. I know him."

"How? Who is he?" Ezra pestered, earning him another harsh glare from Zeb.

"It doesn't matter," Zeb hissed through clenched teeth and rapid breathing as hard green eyes locked onto his.

"But-" Ezra started to protest but stopped once he realized Zeb looked a split second away from striking him.

"I said it doesn't matter," Zeb interrupted him as he rose to his full intimidating stature.

"Alright. Jeez, sorry for asking," Ezra gave in bitterly before jerking on Chopper's leash and muttered dejectedly, "Come on Chopper."

It wasn't until Ezra returned to the house that he realized Zeb's eyes had glittered with unshed tears.

* * *

Predictably enough, Zeb didn't come home that night and when Ezra snuck downstairs for a glass of water he was surprised to see Hera still awake.

"Hera!" he squeaked in surprise as the woman focused intense green eyes on him.

"You should be in bed," she chided instantly.

"Couldn't sleep," Ezra replied before he asked without thinking, "Hey, do you know a Robert Kallus?"

Her reaction implied that she did; her back straightened almost unconsciously as sudden hard green eyes narrowed in on him. It was the complete opposite of her normally open and kind expressions that Ezra had come acquainted with and he found himself blinking in surprise.

"Hera?"

"Where did you hear that name?" she demanded voice hard and commanding; Ezra couldn't help but to reply.

"I- Zeb told me his name," Ezra quickly explained before he narrowed blue eyes in a bitterly cold expression of his own, "Why? Who is he?"

"Zeb?" she whispered to herself before sighing softly and relented, "Ezra, have you ever heard of the Orrelios Massacre?"

Ezra blinked again as he swallowed and nodded.

He'd been very young at the time but remembered how it had been all over the news. The Orrelios family had been one of the richest and most honorable ones alive, all the sons trained so they could serve their country once they became of age. Or, at least, they had up until all of them were brutally murdered one night by an angry gang.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Ezra asked, voice choked and small as the pieces had already started to fall in place, "I thought they were all killed."

Hera sighed again, looking ancient as she explained gently, "Not all of them. From what I gathered, Zeb was the only survivor."

"Zeb?" Ezra asked before it something internally clicked and he replied eyes wide, "Kallus was the man who killed Zeb's family!"

Hera nodded, face grim.

Ezra thought back to the light headed man in the alley and instantly felt sick. No wonder Chopper had reacted the way he had- the man was a monster.

He didn't get long to ponder the newest revelation as Zeb's sudden booming voice broke through the air. Both Hera and Ezra sprinted to the doorway where they could see Zeb's large frame lumbering down the road clearly drunk and very loud.

From what Ezra heard, though, everything he said was gibberish but what it lacked in sense he made up with in volume. Behind him, Ezra felt Kanan's sudden presence as the man hissed something about Zeb waking the whole neighborhood with his foolishness.

Zeb eventually stopped in front of the house, still on the road, as he continued to ramble and it was only then that Ezra realized two things: Zeb was talking about the massacre and he was a very angry drunk.

"Zeb. Get inside. You're drunk," Kanan suddenly demanded pushing his way towards the front.

"No, mate, you just don't understand!" Zeb shouted, words slurring slightly over themselves as he wobbled in place, "He's back! He's returned! He's back! He's back! He's back!"

"Zeb, what-" Kanan started but was stopped when Hera reached out to grab his arm lightly.

"Kallus," she whispered butterfly wings soft and Ezra wouldn't have been able to hear if he hadn't been standing so close to both of them.

On the street Zeb just continued to chant, oblivious to the danger he was in by remaining standing in the middle of the road. Ezra half-suspected that Kanan and Hera forgot, the sudden bombshell of Kallus returning overcoming everything else.

Ezra didn't forget and he hadn't taken his eyes off Zeb or the road, which was why he saw it before any of them- a pair of headlights coming straight towards the still chanting Zeb. Ezra felt ice settle in the pit of his stomach as he realized the car was speeding and had no intent of stopping or slowing and he reacted faster than his brain could've stopped him.

"NO!" he screamed already bolting forward, across the tiny yard in a single stride, and body slamming into the drunk man with enough force to send both of them careening safely to the side.

Time seemed to slow as Zeb hit the ground first, grunting softly as his skull connected against the hard concrete. Ezra landed beside him seconds later, panting and terrified as he spun around in just enough time to see the man from the alley glare from the front seat of the car before it zoomed away.

Then time seemed to catch up and Zeb still hadn't moved and there was a sudden ringing noise Ezra didn't remember there being before. That didn't mean he didn't hear both Hera and Kanan's sudden frantic shout though. He didn't think a deaf person would've been able to miss it or the sudden desperate fear that had overcame their tone.

"ZEB!"


	3. Chapter 3

3:

Kanan was the first one to move. Of course he was, everything about him cried out leader and if Ezra still didn't feel so numb and stupid with shock he would've found it in himself to be awed.

"Hera, take the kid inside," Kanan commanded, bare feet already moving towards them. Towards Zeb, who still hadn't moved from where he hit the ground.

Ezra's stomach turned to stone as wide blue eyes stared down at his roommate's lax features. He looked almost… dead.

Then Hera was there, grabbing his wrist and guiding him to his feet and to the house and away from Zeb's still prone figure. Ezra couldn't help but glance back and felt guilt consume him when he caught glance of Kanan's distraught expression.

If Zeb died then it would crush the man and probably Hera and Sabine and it would all be his fault. He always manages to screw everything up without fail and this time was no different.

Ezra was literally jerked from his thoughts when Hera forced him on the couch, Sabine hovering near the door, violet eyes wide and bright with concern; Ezra had to look away in shame because he caused that expression. He hurt Zeb when he tackled him and now his brain could be bleeding or something and he didn't want the man to die.

"I'm so sorry," Ezra choked out tears gathering in his eyes as he buried his face in his hands and he felt rather than saw Hera's vexed expression turn on him.

"Ezra, what are you talking about?" she asked her voice as soft and gentle as the hand she placed on his shoulder.

"I pushed him," Ezra explained still refusing to make eye contact as he felt something inside his chest fracture, "I hurt him. I'm so sorry."

"Is he joking?" Sabine demanded somewhere by the door, voice shrill with disbelief and Ezra didn't have to look to know her expression had now changed from concerned to incredulity.

Hera shushed her with a single look before leaf eyes focused back on him as her hands gently maneuvered his head so blue met green and she reassured in a voice so maternal and kind it physically hurt to hear, "Ezra, honey, you didn't hurt Zeb. You saved his life. That car would've killed. Do you understand?"

"He hit his head," Ezra denied not bothering to take heed in her words as he continued in a broken tone, "He could still die."

And Zeb might be a jerk and a slob and a pain in Ezra's neck but he really didn't want him to die. That Ezra knew for certain.

Hera opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted when Kanan stumbled through the door, one of Zeb's arms slung over his shoulder as he literally dragged the slightly larger man inside. Green eyes were still wide and cheeks flushed from adrenaline but he no longer held any of the desperateness he had the last time Ezra saw him.

"How is he?" Sabine demanded rushing towards them both, eyes wide with worry.

"He'll be fine," Kanan reassured, Zeb grunting in his hold and this time when they made eye contact Ezra saw Kanan grin like an idiot as the man proudly proclaimed, "He might have a headache but he'll be okay."

Ezra breathed a sigh of relief the same time he saw Zeb's eyes flicker open as another grunt escaped his lips. He pulled away from Kanan's support, legs wobbling slightly but otherwise remained upright as he brought a hand to his head to rub the sore spot tenderly.

"Appreciate the save mate," Zeb told Kanan weakly as his drunk injured brain slowly tried to piece together what just happened.

"It wasn't me," Kanan practically beamed as he nodded in Ezra's direction and proclaimed, "It was Ezra."

This time Zeb's eyes were the ones to meet with Ezra's still startled blue and he offered the kid a nod of appreciation Ezra quickly returned. Inside, though, Ezra still felt cold and scared and he wanted to just curl up in a ball forever.

Nobody seemed to notice, however, as they all turned their now relieved and angry attention towards Zeb; Sabine even punched Zeb's arm albeit it looked weak and carefully placed. Like she was afraid of breaking the one person none of them probably even considered breakable in the first place.

"You idiot!" she screeched violet eyes wide and burning as she ranted, "You know better than to stand in the middle of the road! Kanan and Hera's _taught_ you better."

So Ezra was right. These people were family bound together not by blood but something much deeper. Something Ezra didn't share.

"Sorry," was all Zeb offered meekly looking like he was a few seconds away from collapsing and Ezra still felt something sour churn in his stomach vilely.

"Perhaps you should sit down," Kanan decided evidently reading Ezra's mind as he gently took ahold of Zeb's arm to guide him to the couch Ezra was currently sat on; he met Ezra's gaze and Ezra was immediately on his feet again.

"Here," he murmured head bowed and voice strangled as he went to go upstairs, "I'll be in my room if you need me."

"Ezra," Kanan spoke his name and it sounded like a command.

Ezra froze on his spot on the stairs, hand clutching the wooden handle with a sort of desperation he's never felt before. Not even on the streets because this was a man he's learned to respect despite not knowing very well looking at him with serious green eyes. Eyes Ezra _fears_ because of the lingering emotions that always seem hidden inside them.

But then Kanan gave him a warm smile as he acknowledged, "Thank you."

Ezra nodded his head before he scurried up the stairs faster than he's ever moved before in his life, shutting the door behind him. As soon as it clicked close he felt all his energy sap from him and his legs crumbled beneath him and the next thing he knew he was on the floor back against the door as he struggled to breathe properly.

Zeb was hurt yet none of these people blamed him. Instead they show him their gratitude and Ezra knew he didn't deserve that- didn't deserve _them_. Not after all the selfish thoughts he's had about robbing them of the few valuable items they owned and disappearing forever.

He didn't deserve this kindness and gratitude because _he's_ _done_ _nothing_.

Another choked sob escaped from the back of his throat as he brought his knees to his chest, burying his head in between them, feeling the sorrow take over. Feeling the sadness overcome him in a way he hasn't felt since his parents' murder.

He didn't move from that spot for a long time, silently crying to himself.

* * *

When his door finally opened hours later Ezra expected Zeb to stroll in with that permeant looking glower on his face. What he did not expect was to find Kanan gripping a pristine white mug tightly in one hand and wearing a sincere smile as he went to sit beside Ezra on the youth's bed.

A couple hours ago Ezra had managed to scrape himself off the ground and crawl over to his bed where he practically burrowed himself in the corner, folding in on himself so tight and small he hoped no one would ever be able to find him again.

Apparently it didn't work because Kanan was staring down at him with paternal green eyes and still dressed in his black sweatpants and green shirt he uses for pajamas. It _looked_ like a scene from some sappy movie with a happy ending everyone can enjoy but Ezra's learned a long time ago that movies are not real and moments like these never last.

"You alright?" Kanan asked after a long pause of neither of them saying anything to the other, Ezra still refusing to make eye contact.

"I'm fine," Ezra promised arms folded over his knees as he squeezed them closer to himself, "How's Zeb."

"He's fine," Kanan reassured, "Still loud and drunk but he'll be fine. Hera's downstairs right now, preventing him from even _considering_ sleeping."

Ezra nodded, relief blooming in his stomach despite knowing beforehand that the man would probably be okay. After all, Ezra saved him when he body slammed him on the concrete.

"And Sabine?" Ezra asked although he wasn't entirely sure why; he hadn't seen much of the teenage girl since his stay but it had been obvious she cared for Zeb and sometimes worrying over a loved one could be more detrimental than being the one actually injured.

"She's fine. She turned in a couple hours ago because tonight's a school night," Kanan continued before handing the mug to Ezra and asked voice tight with concern, "How about _you_? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Ezra replied although it came out more as a snap, leaving the kid feeling even more miserable then he had previous of the conversation.

"Ezra?" Kanan asked obviously not buying it as he planted himself beside the youth on his bed and Ezra wondered if the man would leave if asked; probably not.

Ezra met his gaze for a split second before he ducked his expression back to whatever liquid was in the cup. It was thick and brown and tasted sweet. Familiar.

"What is this?" Ezra questioned, part of him curious and the other part trying desperately to change the subject.

Kanan blinked at him dumbly before asked incredulously, "You've never had hot chocolate before?"

Ezra felt his cheeks burn because, yes, he has had hot chocolate but that was 7 years ago while his mom was actually still alive.

Ducking his expression further away he admitted softly, "It's been a while," which was an understatement.

"I see," Kanan nodded and didn't make any move to continue the conversation, respecting Ezra's privacy enough to try and not pry; still Ezra could feel the curiosity crackling off the man.

"I haven't had it since my parents' passed away," Ezra explained in a gentle tone as he glanced up to meet Kanan's sincere green eyes.

Another pang of guilt struck Ezra and he had to duck back away. Everything in Kanan's expression conveyed sincere affection. For whatever reason he hadn't decided to chalk him up as a nuisance and a troublemaker like everyone else has done in the past, and that made all of Ezra's guilt from his thoughts of robbing these people that much worst.

Maybe all those people before were right. He was a monster and a terror and not worthy of any of their time or patience and these people were no different. They were practically saints and Ezra was going to drag them all down to his level.

"Something bugging you kid?" Kanan inquired suddenly and Ezra had to restrain himself from leaping up in the air from the shock because he entirely forgot that he was still there.

"I'm fine," Ezra lied swallowing another sip from the mug, "Just tired is all."

Green eyes narrowed in understanding as the man nodded and went to move away gathering the mug on his way out. Ezra just watched, unmoving, as the man casually strolled over to the door, flickering the lights off.

"Goodnight Ezra," the man whispered softly before the door clicked shut and Ezra was left alone again with his thoughts.

Ezra waited three whole seconds before re-burying his face in his knees and choked out, "I'm so sorry."

* * *

Ezra figured he must have eventually fallen asleep because when Zeb stormed in several hours later it woke him up.

Blinking bleary blue eyes open the teen watched from his spot from the bed as the large man stormed in, feet stomping and chest heaving and obviously aggravated. Then, not even a second after Zeb slammed the door shut, Hera was there berating Zeb with a serious expression.

"Hush Zeb," she chided in a soft hiss, "Ezra's trying to sleep."

Zeb's shoulders stiffened at the reminder of his roommate as he slowly spun around until he could clearly see the boy curled underneath the covers watching them through slitted eyes. Then again, he must not have realized that either him or Hera were being watched as his shoulders just slumped in a deep sigh.

"I was kind of hoping the kid was something I made up," Zeb admitted and Ezra watched as Hera's back straightened to an almost unnaturally flat angle as she silently stormed over to Zeb.

"That kid," she hissed in a vain attempt of preventing Ezra from waking to hear this conversation, "saved your life tonight. If he hadn't been there then you'd be dead."

Ezra's chest ached with the guilt and he squeezed his eyes shut, curling in on himself slightly tighter than before. Neither of them noticed, continuing obviously with their conversation.

Zeb's shoulders slumped impossibly more as he sank on his bed and admitted face in his hands, "Do you not think I know that Hera? I owe that kid my life and yet he's just that. A kid, a child who would be better off far away from here and us."

Hera's expression must have softened because her voice certainly did as she silently asked, "Is that something you truly believe?"

Another deep grunt/sigh from the man before he shook his head and admitted, "I don't know Hera. All I know is that Kallus just tried to kill me again tonight and Ezra saved me and Kallus _saw_ that. Saw _him_."

Hera grew silent and Ezra had to resist the urge of fidgeting uncomfortably for fear of getting caught. Seconds turned to minutes and three whole minutes passed before the woman actually spoke again.

"We don't need to dwell on that for too long," Hera reassured softly, regretfully; Ezra just didn't know what the _what_ in question was. Him? Kallus? Both?

Evidently, Zeb knew _exactly_ what she was talking about.

"I know," Zeb agreed in an almost penitently tone.

There was more silence and Ezra had the creeping feeling that they were now both staring at him, watching him. Probably debating on how much longer they could keep him because everyone abandons him at some point.

Ezra hated to admit it, but he _really_ wanted this time to be different.

Several minutes later he could hear Hera rise from the bed and silently exit out of the room, leaving him and Zeb alone together. Ezra eventually drifted off and was only mildly surprised to not find a pillow being smashed into his face.

* * *

Zeb was awake when Ezra had to get up for school.

He was sitting on his bed, gazing almost lovingly down at something Ezra couldn't quite make out. Beside his massive anaconda for a leg sat a fairly good sized cardboard box that- despite its un-doubtfully ancient age- looked well taken care of.

"What's that?" Ezra questioned amongst a yawn as he rubbed his still bleary eyes with the back of his knuckles.

Zeb didn't respond, didn't even glance at him; he just remained on his bed staring at whatever he was staring at and Ezra felt slightly peeved at being blatantly ignored.

"Hey!" he called skipping over to Zeb's bed a little too chipper for 6:30 in the morning as he went to peer at whatever had captivated Zeb's attention.

It was slightly unexpected.

It was an old photograph yellowed with age and sides crinkled with love and care. That in itself wasn't unusual or unexpected- what was unexpected was the sight of the smiling family grinning and cluttered together casually. Affectionately. It was obvious that everyone in the family cared for the others and there was at least 12 people, lined up and smiles reaching their eyes. It reminded Ezra of simpler times

"That you're family?" he asked before he could stop himself and it had been like a flip switched somewhere inside Zeb because he was suddenly reacting. Violently.

"Why can't you learn to mind your own business?" the larger man demanded shoving Ezra away while still keeping careful hold on the photograph he was gripping with a sort of desperation Ezra's yet to see in the man.

"I-" Ezra choked before he focused on the man and asked like the inconsiderate idiot he was, "Is that any way of treating someone who saved your life?"

And Ezra wasn't sure who was more surprised by what came out: him or Zeb. It just wasn't like him to dangle things like shoving someone headfirst into the concrete and nearly killing them in the process to rescue them from a vindictive driver over people's head. Then again, how many people had he actually saved before?

Not many.

And Zeb, who Ezra was almost positive wasn't used to being rescued by scrawny 14-year-old kids, looked equally as shocked. Ezra opened his mouth to apologize when the fire burning in Zeb's eyes died and his entire frame slumped over defeated.

"Sorry for lashing out," Zeb apologized and Ezra nearly choked on his surprise. Nearly.

Instead, all other feelings quickly became encompassed by a superiority he's never felt before. It left him giddy and breathless in a way he couldn't explain if he'd been asked to.

It was a feeling he could get used to.

* * *

Everything settled back to normal after that and Ezra was surprised by how easily everyone fell back into normal routine. It was like the worst case of denial Ezra's ever seen, all five of them (including Chopper) pretending like someone didn't try to kill Zeb the night before. Ezra couldn't be as forgetful.

It seemed like every time he closed his eyes he saw the car and Kallus and sometimes- if he lets himself drift for too long- he doesn't make it to Zeb in time and all he can see is the man splattered all over the car or concrete. Dead. Dying. He isn't sure, all he knows is that Zeb hardly ever makes it out in one whole piece.

That thought was enough to send him in a violent case of cold chills because the one thing he's never come across before on the streets is murder. Theft and petty crimes? Absolutely. Murder? No which was probably why he's become accustomed to reminding Zeb how he saved his life.

Despite what Zeb undoubtedly thought, Ezra wasn't trying to be mean or spiteful constantly reminding the older man how he rescued him. He wasn't trying to rub it in either, or make himself seem greater then he comes off to be. The truth was, every time the words leave his mouth he's reminding himself that he had made it in time and Zeb was still alive and not some faded memory buried 6 feet under.

He had made it. He _saved_ him. And, by now, everyone in the house knew it too.

"Is that any way to treat someone who saved your life?" Ezra asked, the phrase coming out as confident and more than a little snide and yet when Ezra locked eyes with the poison green of Zeb's he still felt cold.

Zeb, in return, still looked angry- murderous- but he deflated nevertheless and Ezra felt himself breathe, blue eyes carefully cataloging every little movement Zeb still made. Was _still_ able to make because he hadn't been murdered and he was still alive and Ezra _had_ _made_ _it_.

"I guess that means you need a ride," Zeb decided picking up the keys to his motorcycle and Ezra felt obligated to nod because he just poured another canister of salt in Zeb's metaphorical wounds by bring up (yet again) how he saved his life.

Zeb's motorcycle wasn't impressive or expensive- it was an older model he's never heard of before- but it was obvious the man cared deeply for it, opting to not even drive it for tasks such as going to work, but Ezra was running late and needed a ride and whenever he asked Zeb the man just kind of exploded and things only escalated from there.

"Hang on tight," Zeb grunted shoving a round white helmet in his arms as he warned, "If you fall off I'm leaving you."

And Ezra believed him.

He nodded, gulping before climbing on the back and wrapped both his arms around Zeb's thick waist and if his hold tightened fractionally when they got on the road, Zeb didn't say anything.

* * *

"Don't expect me to pick you up," Zeb spoke up as Ezra climbed off his bike.

"That's a sucker's attitude for you," Ezra snapped back before he could think his words through and stop himself, "Considering I saved your life. Or did we forget?"

_Because I'll be more than happy to remind you every day you spend _not_ dead._

Zeb's eyes just narrowed further as he challenged, "How can I forget with you reminding me every 23 seconds?"

Ezra just offered a shrug, hating himself at how much he seemed to flauntier around how he rescued the guy's life once. Show-offs always seemed to die off on the streets and Ezra had always avoided them in the past because he found them obnoxious. Yet, here he was, bringing it up at every little chance he had.

The late bell rang shrilly and Ezra decided it was best to get to class. He offered one more look to Zeb, who had already started his motorcycle and was probably trying to get as far away from Ezra and his annoyingly big mouth as quick as possible.

He'd been so distracted with Zeb's ever movement he almost missed the car that nearly collided in his side. Almost.

At worst, it clipped his hip and he stumbled backwards. Both his hands hit the hood of the car as he rebalanced himself, angry gaze narrowing in on the shadowy outline of the driver who nearly killed him.

"What's wrong with you?" he demanded but most of the words died on his throat once he caught sight of the driver.

"I know you," the man grinned, teeth stretching across his face predatorily.

Yeah, Ezra did too. He doesn't think he's capable of forgetting him, the man haunting his nightmares and every second he spends awake.

"Robert Kallus," Ezra choked out, feeling nauseated and dizzy; the smile flickered, making it impossibly creepier.

"Good. That cunt of a woman gave you my name. I was almost afraid that they forgot me completely."


	4. Chapter 4

4:

The first thing Ezra felt was anger, and not the self-righteous kind. The protective, you're-not-allowed-to-say-things-like-that kind and one that came upon him so quickly it astonished even him, but he didn't regret it; Hera's been nothing to be nice to him and he would rather die than allow this man to insult her. Not to mention he was a murderer that tried to kill Zeb.

"Take that back!" he shouted completely disregarding the fact that his brain and instinct were now screeching at him to _run_ because _this_ _guy_ _is_ _a_ _killer_. Murderer of innocents- just like the man who killed his parents.

There was a good chance he was going to die.

At the moment, however, he didn't care because this guy killed people and tried to hurt Zeb and insulted Hera and it made Ezra _angry_.

Kallus just chuckled dryly, climbing out of his car just so he could lean against the door. His face conveyed boredom and Ezra's never wanted to hurt someone as much as he wanted to hurt this man.

"Poor little boy," the man mocked, back straight and voice smug as he folded both hands behind his back and strolled over to where Ezra was still glaring angrily, defiantly, at him.

Ezra forced all instinct down and remain rooted in his spot, glaring up at Kallus with an expression that could just kill. Kallus, for the most part, disregarded the look as he stopped several feet away- close enough to _hurt_ Ezra if he decided he wanted to. Yet Ezra found he didn't care so much about himself, glowering up at the man he's growing to hate.

"Do you even know anything about the people you're living with?" Kallus asked him, voice still taunting. Baiting him.

Ezra refused to bite.

"I know that they're good people. Better than you'll ever dream of being," Ezra snapped, the rage circulating through his veins fueling his bravery; otherwise, he's almost certain, he'd be cowering on the ground like the spineless guppy he feels like most days.

Kallus snorted, edge of his mouth twitching upwards in the most cliché villain's smirk Ezra's ever seen before. Then he raised a hand and Ezra actually flinched, anticipating a smack and was surprised when the man just lightly brushed off his shoulder.

"Careful," he warned hand clutching his bicep as he drew him in close, tight, as he continued to purr, "They're not as perfect as they seem to be."

"Shut up!" Ezra snapped at him, jerking out of his grip.

At least, he tried too.

Kallus's grip just tightened as he forced Ezra towards him. Closer as he used the hood of his car to pin the boy. Trapping him between himself and the vehicle and Ezra felt terrified.

"Let me go!" Ezra shouted fighting against the hands holding him down.

Kallus just tightened his grip as he leaned forward, close enough so his nose was tickling Ezra's ear as he warned, "Careful or you'll realized that you're saints are actually demons."

"Shut up!" Ezra shouted, tears prickling the corner of his eyes as he stopped fighting, allowing Kallus to pin both his arms on the car as he choked out, "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Me and you both know that they don't care for you," Kallus continued softly and Ezra idly wondered how this guy could seem so manipulative, "At the first chance they've got they'll throw you away like the worthless piece of trash you are."

Ezra's breath caught somewhere in the back of his throat at the words his brain has thrown at him ever since he's arrived at the Ghost. It seemed different, more real, when it was spoken from someone else's voice though.

"Get away from him!"

Ezra blinked at the familiar voice, teary gaze rising to meet with Sabine's as the girl sprinted towards them. Violet eyes were wide as she recognized Kallus but they quickly hardened into slits as she charged towards them. To Ezra's rescue.

Kallus didn't reply, just released Ezra and hissed in a hushed tone, "Why don't you ask that cunt about Martin Stein," before climbing back into his car.

Ezra quickly moved out of his way, watching as the car zoomed away as a cold feeling settled over him. Then Sabine was there, engulfing him in a tight hug as she drew him back and away from the road and didn't stop until they were a safe distance away.

"Are you hurt?" she demanded hands clutching his shoulders tightly as she shook his frame, rattling his skull.

"I'm fine," he promised shoving her worried hands away, feeling his head swirl in confusion as his legs threatened to buckle out from underneath him.

Sabine caught his arm, steadying him, as violet eyes continued to blink at him apprehensively before she whispered, "Perhaps you need to sit down. I'll call Hera."

And Ezra was too tired to protest, instead opted at folding his knees close to his chest; hugging them tightly, protectively, as he buried his face between them wishing he could just disappear forever. Somewhere in the distance, he could hear Sabine talking to someone in her phone. Occasionally worried looks would focus back on him but then she'd turn back around so only her back was facing him.

Ezra curled in tighter around himself, wishing to just disappear. Still, the last thing Kallus said echoed in his ears, making them itch.

"Sabine, have you ever heard the name Martin Stein?" he spoke up surprising both him and Sabine if the wide-eyed look she gave him was any indication.

Then she schooled her features and forced out, "No. Never heard of him."

Which was so obviously a lie but Ezra didn't have the strength to push so he let it go, dropping his head back to resting on his knees. He isn't sure how long they were outside, waiting, but eventually Hera arrived in an ancient gray looking car, green eyes wide with concern.

"Are you both okay?" she demanded scrambling out from the vehicle to envelop first Sabine then him in tight hugs.

Ezra's body tensed in shock the moment he was drawn into the vice-like grip and blue eyes blinked in surprise. He wasn't used to being touched much less nearly being squeezed to death but something warm and fuzzy bloomed in the pit of his stomach and he found he enjoyed it.

"We're fine Hera," he reassured in her hair, aware of Sabine's gaze still lingering on him.

He wondered what she thought when she first saw him, pinned on the hood of the car of some murderer. He wondered what she still thought, what she was thinking, but then Hera was letting go and all his focus went to how cold he felt once she withdrew.

"I'm so glad you're safe," Hera spoke, the relief evident in her voice as she laid a gentle hand against his cheek, forcing their eyes to meet.

Ezra just nodded, lost for words.

Part of him wanted to ask Hera if she knew Martin Stein, but was too afraid of her shutting him out like Sabine had done. So he kept his mouth closed as he followed the ladies inside Hera's car, and he idly wondered what they going to do if they got caught by a school administrator but Hera reassured that they already knew, that she had called them and that it was okay.

Ezra believed and trusted her enough to not bombard her with constant questions. That and the fact that he was too exhausted to pester so he stared out the window in silence.

Every once in a while he was aware of Sabine turning around in her spot in the passenger seat to consider him with a sad anxious expression but he refused to confront it. He just let her stare until she grew self-conscious and turned back around. Several minutes later she would turn to stare at him again.

Soon they were back to the Ghost and Ezra was only mildly surprised when Kanan greeted them inside, eyes wide with apprehension.

"What happened?" he demanded in general but both Sabine and Ezra didn't feel like speaking anymore so it was Hera who answered.

"Robert Kallus went to the school today," she explained setting a supportive hand on Ezra's shoulder, "From what Sabine saw, it looked like he confronted Ezra while he was alone."

Kanan's eyes widened and Ezra felt himself withdraw further inside as the man's concentrated look cataloged every little feature on Ezra. It was like he was trying to decide rather or not there was any real damage, which Ezra didn't think there was. Not externally, anyways, but internally he was a mess- the name 'Martin Stein' repeating itself over and over again, along with 'ask, ask, ask.'

But he didn't because he was a coward that could only observe silently as Kanan offered a relieved smile as he said, "I'm thankful that you're alright."

Ezra just nodded, words still evading him.

It occurred to him that the three of them were concerned that Kallus had been there to cause him harm, to hurt him, but Ezra didn't think he showed up at a public high school to pick a fight with a scrawny 14-year-old boy. If he truly wanted to have hurt him he would've just ran him over with his car.

So, no, he didn't want to physically hurt him, so why did he show up? Especially after Ezra rescued Zeb and stopped Kallus's eternal quest for blood in the process.

"Ezra? Are you feeling alright?" Sabine asked, as perceptive as always.

Ezra blinked, focusing on her intense violet gaze and Ezra felt embarrassment cause his cheeks to flush as he reassured, "I'm fine. I'll be in my room if you need me."

No one bothered trying to stop him; Ezra tried to ignore the dull throb of pain that caused.

* * *

Zeb arrived home some time shortly after Ezra disappeared up in his room, the teen only knowing that because of the loud noise the man made when he entered.

Then everything kind of hushed down and he imagined them all sitting in the living room discussing today's events. Discussing _him_ and, despite his attempts of fighting it, Ezra found his mind wandering to how they were surely debating his worth. Debating rather or not he was worth _keeping_ after today.

Another pang shot through his chest, twisting his heart, and he felt numbness start to creep somewhere deep inside of him. It was his body's natural defense, he knew, one that he picked up from his life on the streets- blocking out all the pain and the hurt the world threw at him and pretend like it didn't bother him. Pretend it didn't hurt and that he wasn't breaking inside.

It wasn't working this time.

Ezra sighed for what felt like the millionth time before the door opened and he was (pleasantly) surprised to see Sabine standing there, at least she was better company than Zeb.

"How are you feeling?" she asked sounding unsure, timid, and Ezra was surprised by how unnatural that felt; a timid Sabine was equivalent to a timid mother bear.

"I'm fine," Ezra lied, surprised by how easily lying still came to him.

She scoffed, her expression calling him out on his lies but he didn't care and he didn't bother to correct himself; in return she didn't bother voicing her thoughts, instead she strolled over to the side of his bed and sat beside him. And suddenly she was close, too close, and Ezra still feels uncomfortable around people- Hera being the only person he allowed to- occasionally- fawn over him.

"How about you?" he asked, distracting himself from how his hands had started to sweat and shake and instinct was screaming at him to _run_ because she was _too_ _close_.

Surprised eyes focused on him before a soft smile crossed her features and she glanced back to her hands trying to wring themselves to death as she replied, "I'm fine."

"Uh huh," he muttered folding his knees back to his chest, allowing his eyes to glaze over in thought.

"I mean," she continued breaking through his thoughts, "I'm _as_ fine as I can be, you know? I mean, I always kind of knew about Kallus but never did I even once think he would-"

"Return," Ezra finished and she nodded.

"Yeah. Return."

They settled back into a long bout of silence before Sabine's head snapped back up and she turned to him and spoke in a voice that was almost comically serious, "Ezra, today at the school, when I saw you with Kallus something inside of me froze. I don't know what it was and I don't know how to explain it but I know it didn't leave until I knew for certain you were safe."

Ezra turned a startled gaze towards her, surprised when he was unable to detect any sense of a lie in her eyes. She was truly worried for his safety and, thinking back to when she arrived, he could see the fear in her eyes. She had been terrified and, at the time, he just assumed it was from seeing Kallus again. Now he knew she had really been scared _for_ _him_.

Kallus didn't frighten her as much as the thought of something happening to him did.

He offered her a genuine smile before he ducked back in on himself and muttered, "Thanks."

He supposed he could relate. He didn't know Sabine that well and vice versa but he remembered the gut wrenching ice water fear he felt when he saw the car speeding towards Zeb. He remembered the adrenaline and how time seemed to freeze over and how the icy pit in his stomach didn't fade until he was certain Zeb was alright, and he spent most of his time thinking about how much he didn't like the guy previous to the accident.

"Sabine?" he asked trying not to sound as young as he felt but he knew he failed miserably; violet eyes brimming with curiosity focused back onto him as she tilted her head slightly to the side.

"Yeah?"

"Why do you think Kallus has decided, now of all times, to return?" and he didn't mean to word it quite like that but Sabine didn't seem to notice; violet eyes narrowed in serious consideration as she pondered his question.

"I'm not sure," she admitted after a long pause, "but the attack on Zeb and you," he was almost positive she missed the way he flinched, "I'm certain it can't be good."

And then Ezra's brain was reminding him of the name Martin Stein and how Sabine seemed to have shut down at the mention of it. He frowned, blue eyes narrowing on her thin frame as he considered what that meant- wondered who Martin Stein was and what he did.

"I'm going to bed now," Sabine suddenly announced as she rose from the bed and turned a gentle expression towards him, "and you should try to too."

Then she turned and made it all the way to the door before she froze and whispered so soft Ezra questioned rather or not he heard right.

"You should ask Kanan about Stein if you still want to know."

Then she was gone, without a trace, and it was like she had never really been there to begin with.

* * *

Ezra did manage to fall asleep and woke up to Zeb's loud snores and Chopper using his foot as his newest chew toy.

"Hey," he hissed kicking out at the dog.

Chopper did stop and turned intelligent eyes towards him, and Ezra didn't bother trying to make out what they were trying to tell him. He was still drained and felt cold and dropped back on his pillow, curling the cover tighter around his thin frame.

Chopper was nothing if not persistent though.

He nudged Ezra's leg with his head and slitted blue eyes focused on the German Shepard. Chopper didn't seem perturbed by the hostile look the teenager was giving him, instead he gracefully leapt off the bed and seemed to beckon for him to follow.

"You're kidding right?" Ezra asked in disbelief and was almost certain that if dogs could smirk Chopper would definitely be smirking.

Zeb snorted in his sleep, rolling his immense body over.

"Alright fine," Ezra agreed climbing from his bed to follow the dog out in the hall then down to the stairs where he wasn't even surprised to fine Hera sitting on the sofa.

"Good morning," the woman greeted with a slight smile.

Ezra yawned, nodding in reply before he asked, "What are you doing still up?"

"Couldn't sleep," she admitted gazing down at something and Ezra squinted to distinguish what it was; it was the box of trash he had been forbidden to touch.

"I've been meaning to ask you what that was. Kanan wasn't too keen on telling me," Ezra asked as he went to sit in the vacant seat opposite of her.

A feather soft grin blossomed across her face as her eyes practically shined as she explained quietly, "It's our past."

Ezra blinked confused and the only thing he thought of saying was, "Huh?"

Soft green eyes focused on him as she set the box down in between them and she clarified, "They're items from our past we couldn't bring ourselves to let go. They're what reminds us on a daily basis of what's happened and they're also here to remind us that we can't let that define who we are."

"So all this trash is-"

"Very precious to us, yes," Hera interrupted with a firm nod before her expression softened out again and she added, "We've all faced hardships, Ezra Bridger. We all have ghosts, which is where our nickname from our home came from. When we enter here we're no longer allowing our ghosts to control us, instead we've come in terms with them."

"Yeah, well, no offense or anything but Zeb's ghosts tried to kill him," Ezra reminded a little too harshly as he practically leapt to his feet in anger, "How can you be okay with that?"

"We're not," she reassured rising to meet him calmly, "but if we allow our anger and fear take over then we're no better than them and we're stronger together," she sighed, sounding ancient and exhausted before she continued, "Ezra if all you do is fight for your own life, then your life is worth nothing."

Ezra didn't reply, couldn't find the right words to explain to her how _not_ fighting for your own life could be as detrimental as fighting for it. There was right and then there was insane and she was definitely venturing towards insane- they all were.

"Ezra," she spoke up after a long pause and his eyes somehow managed to find themselves focusing back onto hers as she continued in a carefully worded promise, "I need you to trust us, trust me. We won't let anything happen to you."

Ezra bristled at the idea of being protected and he snapped, "It's not me you should worry about."

Later, in the morning, he'll regret the way the words came out- almost like poison- but at the time he didn't care. He just stomped past her and the now growling Chopper to make it back up the stairs and under his covers where he felt warm, safe.

And he didn't bother looking back where he left her, not once.

* * *

The next day was mostly a blur and he didn't bother saying anything when Sabine skipped her afterschool activities to walk with him back to the ghost- to walk _him_ back to the ghost like some naughty child endangered of running away or getting swept away by the bad people in the world.

Instead, he ignored her as he kicked at the gravel under his toes and watched as they bounced and skipped across the sidewalk. Sabine remained silent, easily keeping stroll with him as they slowly made it back to the small white house Ezra's becoming to grow acquainted with.

Ezra didn't bother meeting Hera's eyes, immediately shutting himself up in his room where he at least felt some sense of security. Safe from these people and their kind hearts and overly forgiving personalities.

It was all wrong. Normal people don't act the way they do; normal people are selfish and self-centered and don't care about little orphan boys with bright blue eyes and dark hair. At least these people seemed to pretend to care- tried to keep him safe from a danger they should be worrying about for themselves and Ezra felt like screaming because _they_ _just_ _didn't_ _seem_ _to_ _understand_.

Ezra did though. He understood better than most and he knew Kallus wasn't done, wasn't giving up, and before the true danger they were all in could be figured out Ezra needed to know who Martin Stein was and why Sabine told him to ask Kanan specifically. After all, Hera seemed the most willing to share out of all of them.

But he snapped at Hera and he would be lucky if she would even look at him again.

His door opened and he glanced up to see Kanan standing there. He wasn't smiling but he wasn't frowning either and Ezra allowed his gaze to drop.

"Everything alright?" Kanan asked, a tinge of concern filtering through his voice, "You seem more… reserved than normal."

"I'm fine," Ezra lied and how many times has he told that lie?

"No. You're not," Kanan denied, the only one that's called him out on his lies as the man approached him on the bed, and Ezra couldn't stop the flinch fast enough.

Kanan froze, eyebrow raised as he considered the teenager before him with a renewed sense of concern before he asked cautiously, "Ezra?"

"I'm sorry," Ezra apologized feeling miserable as he hugged his legs closer, tighter, "I'm just not used to people."

"You seem fine around Sabine and Hera," Kanan pointed out and Ezra felt the vastness separating the man from understanding.

"They're different," he responded dejectedly, "They're-"

"Female?" Kanan guessed and when Ezra didn't reply Ezra knew he figured it out.

"Look," the man responded as he came to sit down beside him, voice gentle and promising, "I don't know what you had to deal with in the past but I promise I won't ever hurt you. Not like that."

Which was funny because he didn't even know which way he was talking about.

Ezra snorted, unamused as he jumped to his feet to storm away like the pouty teenager he felt. Some internal part of him accused him of being a brat but he didn't bother listening to it because Kanan was suddenly grabbing him and Ezra felt his defenses rise; Kanan released his shoulder once it was clear he wasn't escaping any time soon.

"Kid, you can't continue through life blocking everybody out; you've got to let your defenses down," Kanan lectured and Ezra hated that he knew that he was right; not that that meant that he accepted the words easily.

"I'm fine," Ezra snapped, the last thing he had to defend himself with.

"No. You're not, but you're too stubborn to admit it," Kanan chided and when Ezra turned to face him Kanan looked angry.

The man didn't appear violent angry or anywhere close to furious but his eyes were narrowed and his expression dark and it was obvious he wasn't letting it go. He wasn't letting _Ezra_ go, not without a fight and Ezra was more than willing to give the man one.

"What about you?" Ezra suddenly accused allowing his anger to carry out through his voice, "All you've ever done is sit around and pretend like Zeb hadn't been attacked! All of you do it and I don't understand how you can just _pretend_ like it didn't happen!"

Kanan sighed a deep remorseful sigh as he ran a hand through his hair he had pulled back in a short ponytail as he murmured, "Unbelievable. Is _that_ what's been bugging you?"

Ezra didn't bother telling him that he was right; the man probably already knew.

"Look, Ezra," Kanan spoke and this time his voice was a little more understanding as he offered, "None of us are pretending like Zeb wasn't almost killed and we're all immensely thankful that you rescued him but there's no sense in living constantly in the past. What's happened, happened and there's no sense dwelling on it."

"Yeah but-" Ezra felt his mouth clamp shut as he considered the man's words; he hated to admit it but he had a point.

"And you've lived here for nearly two weeks and I still don't know much past your name," Kanan murmured, voice equal parts serious and teasing and Ezra blinked at the sudden change in his voice. His attitude.

"Yeah, well, ditto," Ezra grumbled softly, folding his arms over his chest as his gaze focused on something in the corner.

"You've got a point," Kanan chuckled before he sobered, "How about this, I'll answer one question from you if you answer something for me."

Ezra shrugged, figuring he didn't have anything to lose before he decided, "I get to ask you something first, though."

Kanan blinked in surprise before he nodded, "Sure. I don't see why not?"

Ezra already knew what he was going to ask and he knew he was going to give Kanan a reason why not but he didn't care because it's been bothering him for awhile now.

Locking eyes with the older man he took a deep breath and asked steely serious, "Who's Martin Stein?"


	5. Chapter 5

5:

The sudden change in Kanan was so startling Ezra had to physically stop himself from taking several steps back.

He hadn't lived in the home for very long but he's managed to figure out that Kanan was a lot of things but easily angered wasn't one of them. In fact, it seemed like the guy had an endless amount of patience and an abundant amount of kindness he was willing to just _give_ _away_ but, at that moment, he seemed a million miles away from gentle and a lot closer violent.

"Where did you hear that name?" Kanan asked, voice and eyes steel as he consciously picked each and every word with the uttermost care.

Ezra opened his mouth, probably to respond, but his tongue had shriveled up and he quickly clamped his mouth back shut, swallowing audibly before trying again; this time managing to get out, "Kallus mentioned it at the school."

Kanan's sharp gaze narrowed as he clenched his hands into shaking fists and Ezra thought for a brief moment that the man was going to hit him. Then Kanan let out a deep sigh and uncurled his fists and he was back to looking like the pacifist Ezra was chiding moments ago.

"I should go," the man decided and whatever fear Ezra felt must have dissipated because he was suddenly reaching out, latching onto the sleeve of his green shirt.

Surprised eyes met his and Ezra immediately released him, turning his face so their eyes were no longer meeting as he forced out, "What about our deal? A question for a question."

And Kanan seemed to at least consider his words temporarily before he decided, "I think it's best for now that you just forget about this and especially about Martin Stein."

Then he was gone and Ezra didn't bother stopping him. He just watched, numb, as the man strolled out of the room, back erratic and shoulders tense, and when the door closed behind him Ezra felt his entire frame deflate in resignation.

Kanan didn't trust him enough to tell him who Martin Stein was or what he did that was so bad. And why should he? Ezra hadn't done anything monumental to earn his or anyone's trust, and it was then that Ezra decided that he had overstayed his welcome; by tonight he would be gone.

* * *

He hadn't even had anything to pack, which was only a testament to how pathetic he was- not that it mattered anymore. It was easier to live on the streets without many things holding you down anyways.

Sometime several hours after Kanan left, Ezra heard Hera call his name and he briefly contemplated ignoring her. After all, he wasn't planning on staying until morning, but he figured that she's been nothing but kind to him and he at least owed her his respect.

That was how he found himself gawking at her lean figure disbelievingly because there was no way she just asked him to go fetch Zeb from his job like some glorified messenger but one look inside her intense green eyes and Ezra decided it would be best to comply.

"Sure," he grumbled out from the corner of his mouth before he turned to leave, aware of the eyes watching his back as slipped out the door.

Outside the air was a stifling type of moist and the sky had turned an orange-pink color. Thin wisps of stretched out clouds circled around in the sky and Ezra found himself appreciating the sight despite himself. And the second he caught himself he diverted his gaze back to his feet as he strolled briskly along the concrete sidewalk.

He arrived at the shop he knew Zeb worked at and quickly stepped inside.

The place was empty except for him and Zeb, who was cleaning a glass counter containing several menacing looking guns Ezra couldn't name if he wanted to- and he didn't.

"Ezra!" Zeb gasped, eyes widening comically as his entire froze and stiffened, "What are you doing here?"

"Hera sent me," he explained directly, "How much longer do you plan to stay?"

At the mention of his foster-mom's name, the older man's shoulders relaxed as he offered almost offhandedly, "I'm almost done. I just need to finish cleaning up."

Ezra nodded in understanding, slipping further in the air-conditioned store as he browsed around avoiding the older male's gaze. Even before they're relationship hadn't been great but ever since Ezra started rubbing in the fact that he saved his life it seemed like poison. And Ezra doesn't think he can uphold a very long conversation with him without blurting out in some way that he saved him.

Not that it mattered any more.

The bell above the door chimed and he glanced up in shock as a man dressed in jeans and white shirt walked in. He didn't bother removing the sunglasses on his face so Ezra immediately decided that he didn't like him.

Zeb seemed to agree.

"We don't sell weapons to _your_ kind," the man sneered, shocking Ezra because he figured the man at least tried for pleasant customer service.

The man just seemed to smirk before he spoke, voice equal parts silky and oily, "And here I thought we were on kinder terms, _Garazeb_."

Zeb suddenly stiffened as green eyes shifted over towards him; the man followed his gaze and Ezra frowned as he felt a shiver creep down his spine. Something about this man was undoubtedly off.

"This the runt that rescued your sorry carcass?" the man suddenly demanded unimpressed, "He doesn't seem like much."

"Yeah well," Ezra shrugged, blue eyes locking onto Zeb's green as he felt his stomach sink, "It doesn't take much."

Zeb frowned at the insult but took advantage of the distraction nevertheless, grabbing the closest object he could find and threw it. The box of ammunition struck the back of the oily slick black hair, causing the guy to stumble, and Ezra didn't bother to wait for any motivation from Zeb before he was sprinting out the door. Zeb followed on his heels.

"Who was that man?" Ezra demanded as Zeb yanked him left instead of right and they started running in the direction _away_ from the Ghost.

"Long story," Zeb grunted beside him and Ezra felt the frustration build up inside him because it seemed like the entire family avoided giving him straight answers.

"Is that any way to treat someone who saved your life?" Ezra snapped out before flinched mentally, berating himself because now was so not the time.

Zeb's intense gaze focused in on him as he growled, "You better check yourself, mate. Last I checked we're even."

"Throwing a box of ammunition doesn't count," Ezra squawked because, technically, no one had been in any real danger yet.

Now they definitely were and if there had been any doubt in his mind it was quickly wiped away when a gun went off and the ground at Ezra's feet shot up in sudden fire, burning the backs of his ankles.

"Are you kidding?" Ezra exclaimed instinctively going to curl in on himself but Zeb yanking his shirt down a sudden alley forced all his attention on keeping his feet underneath him.

"Try to stay with me kid," Zeb demanded, green eyes practically glowing as he practically dragged him along and he briefly wondered where they were going.

Then they reached the end of the alley and they made it two feet before a black van slammed to a stop in front of them; the side doors slammed open as guns were pointed in their direction and Ezra had just enough time to register the scene before Zeb's hands were grabbing at him and forcing him to one side before he started in the opposite direction.

"Run kid!" he bellowed at Ezra's hesitation and Ezra didn't bother to protest as the first gun went off, bullet burrowing itself in the spot he was standing in seconds before.

"They're splitting up!" someone from the van shouted as adrenaline fueled Ezra's burning legs.

"Kallus wants them both," another voice snapped and then he was out of earshot, the only noise he was aware of was the sudden roaring in his ears.

Kallus. Of course the man had something to do with this and he would've bet money that whoever the guy in the gun shop was somehow connected with Kallus. And now a bunch a people with guns were chasing him.

"Hey kid!" someone shouted before the snap of a gunshot was audible and the backs of Ezra's ankles burned but he didn't bother slowing down, much less stopping; he didn't think anything could've made him pause, not for anything.

"We just want to talk!" another voice tried behind him but Ezra knew that they were the furthest thing from talking and he was getting sick of Kallus.

A black car slowed down beside him and the passenger window slowed down and Ezra flinched because he half-expected to see a barrel of a gun pointed at his head. What he did not expect was to see Zeb's stupid grin from the driver's seat.

"Zeb?" he asked, incredulous, because _did_ _he_ _just_ _hotwire_ _and_ _steal_ _a_ _car?_

"Hey kid," the man replied collective and calm and if he had been within striking distance Ezra would've punched him.

Then another gun fired behind him, this time the bullet managing to glaze the back of his calf, causing him to stumble before he shouted desperately, "Let me in!"

Because the next bullet might do more than _scratch_ him.

"First you have to admit that we'll be even," Zeb negotiated and Ezra was amazed his eyes didn't pop out from his skull at the words.

"What?!" he demanded before he tacked on desperately, "Okay! Yes! We're even! Now let me in!"

Zeb slammed on the brakes and Ezra had just enough time to dive in the car before another gun went off. Then the car was lurching forward suddenly and Ezra somehow ended up on the floor, panting and aware that his were legs too weak to support him much longer.

"Thanks," he breathed out feeling relief overflow inside as he clambered up on the seat.

Zeb nodded before he asked, "You alright?"

And he sounded genuinely concerned at least; Ezra didn't bother to respond, though, instead he focused all his energy on catching his breath, ignoring the sharp pains running up and down his injured calf muscle. And he'd been so focused on breathing that he almost missed when Zeb repeated his question.

"I'm fine," Ezra replied shortly as he straightened up and opted on not telling the guy about his injury, "This is just the first time I've been shot at."

"Yeah, well," Zeb snorted pleased with the words as green eyes focused back on the road, "Believe me, it doesn't get easier."

Which reminded Ezra…

"You going to explain why people suddenly started shooting at us?" he asked trying to keep the accusatory tone from his voice but didn't think he got very far.

Zeb grew silent and tense and some part of Ezra had given up on getting answers from anybody when Zeb started slowly, carefully, "They're upset because I'm still alive."

"Because of the massacre?" Ezra filled in and sharp eyes snapped over to him and he shrugged sheepishly, "Hera explained it to me," and then he sobered back to serious as he reminded, "That still doesn't explain on why they're just now trying to kill you."

Zeb just shrugged and admitted, "I don't know what to tell you. I don't understand it either but what I do know is that they won't stop until I'm dead."

"Any specific reason on why they hate you and your family so much?" Ezra asked innocently and Zeb's eyes suddenly grew much older.

"We were trained to be warriors," Zeb explained, "and they saw that as a threat."

And Ezra felt sick by how simple that seemed; at how quickly humans were willing to murder just because of personal opinion and it reminded him how little faith he felt in humanity. Zeb's next words, though, were enough to send ice cubes through his veins.

"I still miss them every day and sometimes wish I could've just died with them."

"Zeb. No," Ezra blurted out before something under his feet popped and the car swerved and Zeb cursed and it all happened too fast.

Zeb slammed on the brakes and Ezra nearly head butted the dashboard as he lurched forward, and then hands were grabbing onto his shirt and yanking him out and with a sudden push he was running again. Beside him he felt Zeb's presence and it oddly sent waves of comfort through him. Like he was somehow able to convince himself that Zeb would protect him.

If he had the energy, he probably would've laughed at himself.

But he didn't and it took everything inside him to not crumple over from the pain shooting through his calf and the people with guns were screaming at them again. Commanding them to stop or they'd shot and that they wouldn't miss.

As it turned out, they didn't need to bother- Ezra's leg gave out before they got the chance to pull the trigger.

Blue eyes turned to saucer plates as all of his weight sent his knee to buckle and he barely had enough time to catch himself with his palms and knees before he ended up eating concrete. Beside him Zeb started to curse again as he went to lift Ezra back on his feet but someone fired again and the older man had no choice but to stumble away.

"Come on kid," Zeb prompted and Ezra didn't have to look to know the man was barely keeping it together, "Get up."

And Ezra tried but his injured leg refused to support him anymore and he ended back on his hands and knees, shaking his head because he couldn't do it. There was just no way.

"Kid-" and then hands were yanking him to his feet and he no longer had any more energy to fight as something cold, hard and round burrowed itself underneath his chin.

"You start running again or try anything funny and I'm blowing the kid's brains out," his captor snarled at Zeb and the funny part about it was Ezra believed him.

"I'm not running," Zeb snapped and Ezra heard the twinge of panic in his tone as he raised both hands up in surrender, "Just let him go. He has nothing to do with any of this."

"Oh, but I think he does."

Zeb winced but his eyes had turned to poison and Ezra's seen the guy make some angry faces before but this one was the worst- almost homicidal. And it left a solid pit where Ezra's stomach used to be and if he didn't feel so limp and weak he probably would've shivered.

"I'm not going to ask again," Zeb warned as he narrowed on his captor and he bite out each word with venom, "Let. Him. Go."

The hold on him didn't slacken, if anything it only increased and Ezra felt his eyes start to roll up in the back of his head as his airway was cut off. His vision blackened and his ears started to ring and his calf was on fire and he was so caught up in his misery that he missed whatever exchange happened between Zeb and the man holding him but he was incredibly thankful for it because the grip slackened and he could suddenly breathe again. The gun stayed in its place though.

"Perhaps I should kill him now," his captor snarled once Ezra regained sense of his surroundings and the barrel of the gun started biting into his flesh, "Kallus did mention something about him having a smart mouth."

Ezra's heart lurched but he remained still, blue eyes trying to focus on Zeb's green. Trying to ignore the way the metal of gun dug into his jaw, making it sore. Trying to ignore the fact that he was literally seconds away from dying.

But then the hold on him shifted and the pressure of the gun lessoned and his captor snorted, "Lucky for junior here, Kallus wants him alive," Ezra didn't even get a chance to breathe a sigh of relief before the gun was away from him and pointed at Zeb, "Unfortunately for you, he's not so kind."

Ezra barely had enough time to knock the gun away from Zeb, the bullet burrowing itself in the concrete by the man's feet instead, and then he was being thrown back head bouncing off the concrete. His ears started to ring as he blinked blurry eyes up at the man pointing the gun back at him, face livid.

"Kallus might want you alive but he wasn't specific enough to clarify on what state you should be in," the man snarled and his finger pulled back on the trigger.

Ezra flinched at the sound of the gun going off, his body already curling in on itself, but when there was no pain he blinked both eyes back open to see Zeb had somehow managed to tackle the guy and was currently punching the crap out of him. Behind him, the guy's friends recovered from the initial shock of Zeb's sudden attack and went to restrain him.

"Zeb!" Ezra warned from his spot on the ground and watched in amazement as the older boy literally came up swinging, his fist hitting the first man's nose before anybody had a chance to register what was happening.

The second guy got one punch in before Zeb kneed him in the stomach, kicking him on the ground.

"Tell Kallus," Zeb snarled as he bent over to pick the gasping man off the ground, "that if he has issues with me, then come after me and only me."

Then he punched the guy in the face and he dropped like a bag of rocks. Ezra blinked in astonishment before Zeb was suddenly there, yanking him back into reality as he checked the youth for injuries.

"I'm fine," Ezra reassured pulling away from the touch, "A bullet just grazed me earlier."

"We need to clean it before it gets infected," Zeb decided finding the injury before he focused on the blood clotting near the teen's temple and he nodded adding, "That too. Can you walk?"

Wide blue eyes blinked dumbly up at the man before he swallowed and shook his head, remembering the pain he felt just being held upright.

"Okay then. Climb on," Zeb commanded, offering his back and Ezra was too stunned to move but Zeb shifted impatiently and Ezra obeyed, feeling childish and stupid but also too weak to care.

"I guess I owe you now," Ezra suddenly murmured after a long moment of silence between them.

Zeb seemed to think about it before he sighed and decided, "Let's just call us eternally even."

Ezra nodded, feeling something inside him brighten, before darkness drug him under.

* * *

When he came too it was on the couch inside the Ghost with a worried Hera and Sabine peering down at him; somewhere in the background, Ezra could hear Kanan and Zeb. Kanan sounded angry and just the tone of his voice was enough for Ezra to try and curl up in himself.

"Ezra honey," Hera suddenly whispered as warm gentle hands placed themselves on his forehead, "Can you hear me?"

"Yeah. I can hear you," he reassured blinking wide blue eyes at her, "and before you ask, I'm fine."

"You passed out," Sabine reminded unhelpfully as she took him in with frightened deer eyes and pale features, "After you were chased and nearly killed."

Oh right, that happened.

"They didn't want me dead," Ezra denied as he blinked past the beginning progress of a headache, "They were after Zeb."

Hera sat back from her perch on top of the coffee table, green eyes remorseful as she apologized, "I'm sorry. If I had known something like this would've happened-"

"Stop," Ezra interrupted being up his palm to his forehead, "You didn't know. It wasn't your fault."

And he meant it. There was no way he could've blamed this on her or any of them because, to him, they were still the most saintly people he'd ever find- regardless of how many skeletons were in their closet.

"Ezra," she tried anyways and this time Ezra jerked his head up so blue could met with green and when he spoke his voice was stronger than he felt.

"No. None of this is your or Zeb's fault; you didn't make humanity as cruel and corrupt as it is," he reasoned and she blinked in surprise before a soft smile graced her beautiful features.

"You're absolutely right," she agreed with a firm nod, "Thank you."

Ezra acknowledged her with the tiniest of nods before the corner of his brain pulsed in bright sparks of pain and he swallowed his wince as he asked, "Can I go up to my room now?"

Hera turned her head slightly so she could share a look with Kanan before replying, "I don't see why not."

And Ezra didn't bother to linger much longer, already halfway up the stairs before she could add on a 'but' somewhere after, and he reached the top before he realized Zeb was following closely behind. Ezra didn't bother to call him out on it- the man was probably as exhausted as he was- but some miniscule part of his brain chirped in declaring that that was all of it.

"Goodnight kid," Zeb grunted the second he dropped down on his bed with a loud thumping noise.

Ezra nodded, watching as the older male turned so he was facing the wall but his breathing never evened out and there were no traces of his gentle snores and Ezra knew he wasn't asleep. And as long as the man remained awake then there was no sneaking out of the house.

_Might as well get comfortable, _Ezra thought tiredly as he plopped on his bed with a weary sigh, blue eyes still observing Zeb closely, _it might take a while._

One hour quickly turned to two and then four and Zeb had yet gone to sleep so Ezra rolled over on his back so he could trace patterns on the ceiling with his eyes. It was obvious Zeb was waiting for _him_ to go to sleep and Ezra idly wondered if he managed to figure out he was planning on bolting. Not that it mattered all that much, he decided quickly afterwards, it didn't change anything.

"Hey Zeb," he whispered, voice light and airy as he turned his head so he could focus on the lump that was his roommate.

Zeb shifted, probably ashamed at getting caught, before he grunted, "Yeah?"

Ezra focused back on the ceiling as he decided, "I'm really glad you weren't killed with the rest of your family."

If Zeb replied Ezra missed it because exhaustion quickly drug him into the soft pillow of oblivion.

* * *

_ "__I beg of you, do not continue with this."_

_ "__We both know that we can't agree to that. Not when we all know that what we're doing is right."_

_ "__And we're helping so many people. Just try and think of what would happen if we were to stop. A lot of people would suffer."_

_ "__But at what price? At what danger are you putting yourself in on a daily basis by continuing with this."_

_ "__Just breathing in today's economy puts us at risk. No, we can't run and hide like cowards. Not when no one else will do what we're doing- speak out against the lies they're feeding us. The truth is going to set a bunch of people free."_

_ "__Try to think of your son."_

_ "__He's all we think about. That's why we have to do this. So he can live in a better world without fear or pain or misery."_

_ "__What if something were to happen to you? Then what? He's too young to be living on the streets alone."_

_ "__And he won't have too. We'll make sure of it and we wish that you could see that what we do- what we're doing- is right."_

_ "__I will not fight a battle I know cannot be won."_


	6. Chapter 6

6:

School the next day was boring, to say the least, and if anything it seemed like Sabine had grown that much clinger. Everywhere he turned it seemed she was there offering him kind eyes and soft smiles and he wondered if that what it was like to have an older sister. Always there, always worrying and preventing him from making a run for it at school.

Which was fine except it wasn't any better back at the house. Either Hera or Kanan were almost always occupying the living room, Chopper at their heels, and it was virtually impossible to sneak out without being open to the living room. Then Zeb gets home and he occupies their room and doesn't sleep until Ezra does so sneaking out at night is also impossible.

So leaving didn't seem like much of an option until they all manage to stop worrying about him, but Ezra found that the longer it went on the more he was becoming to like it. For the first time in a long time he felt like he belonged, surrounded by these people, and safe.

But he wasn't a fool and he knew it would all come crashing down eventually. Especially with Kallus and probably Martin Stein (whoever the heck he is) hidden among the shadows created by society. Protected by the very thing Ezra always hated while he was on the streets- the law.

And as long as Kallus or anybody else doesn't get caught then there's no way to receive justice legally because they have money and fame and power whereas Hera, Kanan and the others just had a small white house and it _sucked_. It really did but Ezra knew that the deeper he got involved the more risk he put on himself.

_"__If all you do is fight for your own life, then your life means nothing."_

Hera's words echoed in his head, making him cringe because deep down he knew she was right but years of relying only on himself made him stubborn. Selfish.

So he kept silent and as recluse as possible while he waited on the perfect attempt to escape, which was near to impossible with these people, apparently, who must have caught onto his secret plans because they refused to let him out of their sight for longer than a couple of seconds.

It wasn't until three days later that he realized why- and it had nothing to do with him or his plans.

He'd been on his bed, mentally going through every possibility he could trying to figure out the best time to sneak away into the night when Zeb stumbled in, reeking of alcohol. And if the smell hadn't been a strong enough indicator that the guy was drunk off his rocker then the next words that left his mouth were.

"Ezra Bridger," the guy slurred hiccupping before bursting out in half-crazed laughter as he repeated, "Ezra Bridger."

"Yeah, Zeb," Ezra agreed as he rushed to help direct the guy to his bed so he doesn't end up face first in the carpet, "It's me."

"Good," Zeb grumbled as he plopped down on his bed, the mattress squeaking in protest as he added, "'fraid he might've gotten you."

Blue eyes blinked in surprise as he asked, "What? Zeb, perhaps you need to lie down."

Zeb just shook his head as his tight against Ezra's bony shoulders tightened and he hiccupped, "No. No sleep. Every time I close my eyes 'm sees him pulling the trigger."

A shiver crept down Ezra's spine as realization started to fall into place: Zeb was suffering from the same thing Ezra did after the car accident and was watching him die. Watched as the guy pulled the trigger and blew Ezra's brains everywhere. Something Ezra has refused to allow his brain to linger on for long.

"Yeah, well, he didn't and I'm here so it's alright," Ezra comforted feeling oddly out of place as he went to lay Zeb down on his bed.

This time Zeb didn't fight it and when Ezra went to go back to his bed, Zeb's hand shot out to clasp steel tight against his wrist jerking him down and close.

"You remind me of 'm little brother," Zeb announced suddenly, eyes comically serious as he tightened his grip.

Ezra blinked in shock at the announcement before he asked voice tinged slightly with concern, "Zeb?"

"'M little brother died though. A long time ago, back when I was too weak to save him," Zeb grumbled, eyes rolling back in his head as he flopped on the bed unconscious.

Ezra didn't move, though, was too busy staring at the limp form of the man he's regarded with a certain sense of respect. Some part of him even ruefully admitted that he's too regarded Zeb as he would've an older brother, albeit one he hardly ever got along with but family nonetheless. And the longer he thought about the more he realized he was becoming that way with each of them.

They were like his family, and he _cared_ about them. A lot.

The very thought that at least one of them thought the same was enough to send butterflies through his stomach- butterflies that immediately died because Zeb watched his family die, and he _blames_ himself for it. He thinks he was too weak to save him and Ezra briefly considered what would happen to him if he suddenly disappeared.

He would convince himself that he hadn't been able to keep another friend safe.

"Alright, you convinced me," Ezra whispered to Zeb's deeply slumbering form, "I'll stay but not for long."

* * *

True to his word, he didn't escape at the first chance he had which was a couple of days later. Everyone had left the house unoccupied for some fancy banquet Sabine had (something neither him nor Zeb were invited to) and it was a whole three hours until Zeb returned from work.

In his head, he knew it had been the perfect opportunity to leave but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Not when Zeb's drunk confession was still so freshly ingrained in his brain.

So he stayed in his room, doing homework, and barely glanced up when Zeb walked through their bedroom door- sober at least.

There was a long awkward silence as green eyes focused in on him and Ezra was slightly disappointed that he wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he was staring at him.

So he glanced up from his parabolas and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No," Zeb quickly reassured, ducking his face to hide his embarrassment before he asked, "A couple of nights ago, when I was drunk…"

"Yes," Ezra prompted curious.

"Did I- did I say anything?"

Ezra shrugged, returning back to his homework as he replied, "Sure."

Zeb swallowed again, loud enough so Ezra was able to hear it from where he sat on his bed, as the man pressed, "What kind of things?"

Ezra glanced back up, meeting the man's eyes, and he suddenly didn't want to tell him because it had seemed personal- still seemed personal- and there was a hint of desperation underlining his green gaze. But was Ezra capable of looking in the guy's eyes and lie to him.

If someone had asked him that several weeks ago he would've said yes without much hesitation but now he stopped to consider it.

"You said something about a younger brother," Ezra finally ventured cautiously- Zeb always kind of reminded him of a slowly ticking bomb and there was never any telling what could set him off- especially anything that seemed _family_ related.

Zeb didn't explode or burst or react in any sort of violence but instead dropped his gaze to the floor as he murmured through broken lips, "Aw man."

Ezra refused to move even an inch as blue eyes watched every little move Zeb made carefully, and Zeb's shoulders seem to sag under the invisible weight suddenly set upon them- a weight filled with loss and pain and suppressed memories that never go away no matter how hard you try to get rid of them.

"Zeb?" Ezra finally asked bravely once Zeb started to look like he was about to crumble.

"Aw man," Zeb just repeated softer than before but still audible as he shook his head, hands shaking and when his knees gave out he crumpled hard.

"Zeb!" Ezra cried out in shock as he bolted out of bed and managed to catch him before he hit the ground, a mixture of gravity and weight forcing Ezra's knees to threaten to collapse.

They didn't- years of running and hiding assured that. What concerned Ezra though was the fact that Zeb still hadn't seemed to notice that the only thing keeping him upright was a scrawny teenage boy with a still injured calf.

"Zeb," Ezra grunted as he half tossed, half set down the large man on the mattress of his bed panting from exertion the back of his calf burning with a million fire ants.

He ignored his own pain, crouching down so he could look Zeb in the eye when he asked, "Zeb? What's wrong?"

"What else did I say?" Zeb instantly demanded, voice hardened and angry as his head snapped up so venomous green eyes could meet his.

Ezra swallowed before forcing out, "Nothing much. Only that you blame himself for his death. For all of their deaths."

Some part of Zeb seemed to crumble again as he ducked his head in his hands and sighed through a heavy heart, "I hadn't been strong enough to save any of them- only myself."

"Zeb, it's not your fault," Ezra reasoned hoping he didn't sound as inexperienced as he felt.

"No!" Zeb snapped bolting to his feet so quickly Ezra ended up falling on his butt from surprise as the man continued, "I was a coward. I hid and I ran and I did nothing to stop them."

"Zeb-"

"Quit pretending like you understand what I feel even the slightest bit!" Zeb suddenly barked, narrowed green eyes pinpointing in on Ezra as he towered over the younger boy as true rage colored his words with thinly concealed animosity.

Ezra felt the change that overcame him so suddenly and he felt his knuckles turn white from where he squeezed them into tight fists and he felt his blue eyes freeze over into ice and some part of him briefly considered how he'll regret shouting at Zeb but, suddenly, he didn't care.

"Oh yeah?" he challenged, voice raised and cold as he scrambled to his feet so he could glare into Zeb's eyes as he practically screamed, "I don't know what it's like to watch as the only family you ever had is ripped away from you? I don't understand the loss and pain of dead loved ones? I think it's _you_ who doesn't understand! My parents died when I was 7 years old! Murdered, in our home by some man who decided he hated them because of some blog they owned, and then I was put into a foster home with a man whose favorite thing was the bottom of the bottle and was always drunk more than he was sober and he-"

Ezra froze midsentence when his brain finally interpreted Zeb's sudden waxy appearance and how his eyes have grown three times in size with horror and shock.

"Kid-" he mumbled voice light and feather soft but Ezra suddenly felt stupid with embarrassment.

"Forget it," he grumbled turning his back and headed towards the door, "It doesn't mean anything anyways."

And it wasn't until he made it to the bathroom and locked the door behind him did he realize his hands were shaking.

* * *

The rest of the family came home way later then Ezra was allowed to stay up on a school night, but his fight with Zeb stirred up some bad memories that prevented him from sleeping. Sabine gave him a bright smile when she noticed him sitting alone in the living room; Hera, who was right behind her, rose an eyebrow but also didn't say anything.

It was actually Kanan who reprehended him.

"You're supposed to be in bed," he noted, voice dulled out from bored exhaustion- art shows were obviously not his passion but one of the things he put up with for having a teenage adoptive daughter and Ezra suddenly wanted a bond like that with someone.

"Couldn't sleep," Ezra grumbled out, not moving from his spot on the couch and didn't bother to look up when he heard Zeb's heavy footsteps coming down the stairs.

"You're all back," the man noted in surprise before green eyes narrowed on Kanan and he pressed, "I need to talk to you mate."

Kanan met his gaze before he focused in on Ezra and he easily replied, "Not now. Can it wait?"

Zeb seemed reluctant at first but must have saw something in Kanan's eyes because he shrugged and nodded, "Sure."

Then he was disappearing back up the stairs, quickly followed by Sabine and Hera who Ezra suspected were trying to give them room to talk. Only Ezra wasn't in a chatting mood and he had just managed to get his hands to stop shaking and-

"Ezra?"

His name was spoken delicately, like he was seconds away from shattering, had Ezra's head snapping up as his eyes met with Kanan's. He swallowed when he felt something hot and slimy creep up his throat because he recognized that look. It was one of a guarded man about to make you regret ever being born.

Kanan must have noticed his sudden unease because he allowed a gentle smile to creep along his features but that did nothing to lessen the solidity in his eyes.

"You once asked me to reveal something from my past," Kanan started and Ezra frowned because there was no way this conversation was going to get any further than that.

"Yeah. And you refused to answer me," Ezra reminded not bothering to hide the bit behind his tone.

Kanan sighed, strands of hair falling from his ponytail trailing down his face as he shook his head and replied, "I know but if I do answer then will you answer something for me?"

Ezra shrugged because he didn't know. He didn't trust himself enough to speak too much because the more these people know the harder it'll be to leave. The worst the pain will be when they abandon him, and they _always_ abandoned him.

Kanan sighed before he moved over so he could sit beside Ezra on the couch, shoulders tense and back rigid, as he explained, "Martin Stein isn't really a name the man goes by anymore."

"Well then, what name _does_ he go by," Ezra asked before he could stop himself because once he spoke he was obligated to answer whatever Kanan wanted to know.

Kanan didn't seem to notice, his eyes were far away and voice distant as he answered, "They call him the Inquisitor now, but when I knew him he was still Martin Stein and we weren't friends but I never felt any ill feelings towards him. He was just always… there. Silent and brooding but never- I never thought he'd kill all those people."

The skin on the back of Ezra's neck prickled at the revelation. How many killers do these people even know?

"From what I gathered," Kanan continued oblivious to Ezra's sudden discomfort, "Is that he was responsible for most of the mass murder that happened- one of the people he killed being Hera's father."

"And Sabine?" Ezra asked because the sight of her outside the school, purple eyes suddenly wide with fear, flashed through his brain and he had to know.

This time Kanan did met his gaze as he shrugged, "She hasn't said anything about him but my guess is that he betrayed her too. The same way he betrayed all of us."

And Ezra felt sick.

Kanan didn't seem to notice, though, as he blinked and sighed as he added, "That was a long time ago, though, and I hadn't been much older then you are now when it happened so the finer details are blurred. I just, never expected his name to get brought up again."

Ezra nodded in understanding, wondering how he'd react if someone came and told him the man who killed his parents was free. He'd probably be a lot more conservative than Kanan had been.

"Alright," he decided preparing himself for the worst, "It's only fair if I answer a question from you now."

Kanan's sudden unreadable eyes focused on his own as the man questioned, "What made you run from the foster care?"

Ezra's gaze snapped to his hands curled into fists on his lap as he admitted softly, "I realized that people don't care about other people- especially little brats that say and do stupid things."

"Which means what, exactly?" Kanan pressed and Ezra momentarily considered not answering but it's been something he's been holding inside since he was _seven_ and decided it would be best to just go ahead and tell him.

"The family they put me with didn't care about me. The wife wanted a little girl but all that was left was me so she settled and the husband… the husband was drunk all the time," Ezra stopped briefly as he felt some part of his resolve falter but Kanan was looking at him expectantly and he couldn't just stop.

"They had money, though, so nobody thought it was a bad idea to put a recent 7-year-old orphan with them but then the woman got pregnant and I just knew that they were going to get rid of me the first chance they got. Some part inside me, though, refused to believe it so I stayed and one night the man came home drunk and when he got drunk he would be angry. He wasn't violent usually- just… angry."

"Did he hurt you?" Kanan pressed when Ezra felt his resolve slip and voice die.

Ezra shook his head, trying to block out the image of the man reeking of alcohol, "No. He… they're marriage wasn't the best and she hated whenever he got drunk and they got in an argument and I remember him hitting her and- I don't know- I got angry too. I jumped in between them and started screaming and he was yelling back and the next thing I knew I was falling down the stairs."

"He shoved you down the stairs?" Kanan asked, voice tight with horror and all Ezra could do was shrug.

"I don't think he meant too. I remember him pushing me and falling but I didn't think it was something he planned but that didn't mean he tried helping me."

"Did the woman?" Kanan questioned and Ezra shook his head again.

"No. She started screaming again, accusing him of killing me and demanded to know if he knew what everyone at church would think once they realized she married a murderer and here I was barely conscious. I think I managed to make some sort of noise because the woman demanded to know what to do with it because it was still alive and the man just shrugged, told her to forget about it until it died."

This time it was only because they were sitting so close did Ezra hear Kanan's sharp intake of breath. Ezra didn't reply, just closed his eyes at the memory of lying at the bottom of the staircase unable to move and be talked about like he didn't matter overcame him. About how lucky he was that their neighbor came to check on them and how, at the hospital, CPS tried putting him back in the home with them. Claiming that it had been an accident and he should stop complaining all the time.

Kanan's strong arm wound its way behind his neck as he drew him into a sudden hug and Ezra blinked in shock as Kanan whispered, "We'll never treat you that way. _I'll_ never treat you that way."

Ezra wished he could've believed him.

* * *

The next day after school it was Kanan who picked him up and Ezra rose an eyebrow at the sight but didn't question it any further. He must still be trying to prove his promise or something and Ezra wasn't going to fight it.

The day with the man was relatively boring. They went supply shopping for Hera and then stopped by the pet store to pick up Chopper's medicine before going back home to drop off the supplies.

"Don't move," Kanan commanded as he unbuckled himself, "I'll be back in a second."

Then he disappeared out the door and Ezra shrugged as he settled back against the seat waiting. Kanan came back out quickly afterwards though and when he climbed back in the driver seat and started buckling back up Ezra couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"Uh, Kanan, what are we doing?" he asked but didn't bother fighting the flight of butterflies that suddenly hatched in his stomach.

Ezra's not stupid and he prides himself in not allowing his stubbornness to overcloud the fact that he cares about the small family he's become so fondly acquainted with. He also knows that since his father's death, Kanan's been the closest thing to a father figure that he's had and some small selfish part of him wants for it to work out. To get Kanan to view him as a son and love him like he clearly does Sabine and Zeb.

Ezra knows that's not possible but he hopes and prays for the illusion to last for as long as it could.

Kanan turned the key in the ignition and didn't offer even a simple explanation on where they were going or what he was planning. He could probably drive Ezra out to middle of nowhere and leave him there and Ezra wouldn't protest all that much because he _trusted_ him and he wants Kanan to trust him back.

_Trust gets you dead_, something deep inside Ezra supplied as the car pulled into the road and Ezra squashed it as he shuffled uncomfortably in the vinyl seat.

He hates how he every time he ends up attempting to branch out and trust these people some rebellious part of his brain- the part that's kept him alive on the streets- stops him and refused to let this time be like any other time. After all, Kanan told him who Martin Stein was- he trusted him and the least he could do was try to return the favor for however long he stays around.

Ezra hopes that that could be forever, but he doesn't think so. Nothing good in his life lasts forever.

The car stopping is what draws Ezra from his thoughts and he blinks blue eyes, his brain comprehending an old baseball field and Ezra couldn't help but frown.

"Baseball? Really?" he asks, voice incredulous and Kanan shrugs grinning like an idiotic nerd.

"Yeah. Back when I was your age my guardian used to take me here all the time to practice. Well… before she died anyways," Kanan explained, his voice trailing off towards the end as he frowned seriously.

"Well okay then," Ezra quickly piped up already opening the door to climb out and distract Kanan from bad memories before they could spoil the good, "I've got to warn you, though, I've never really played baseball before."

"Really?" Kanan asked, voice so surprised and amused and excited it was kind of cute, "I think you'll love it."

"I hope so," Ezra agreed with a bright smile before he watched Kanan climb out from the front seat.

"Why don't you go wait for me? I'll grab the stuff from the back," Kanan told him with barely contained excitement and Ezra chuckled under his breath as went to wait on the field.

Ezra wasn't lying when he said he's never played baseball before, but what Kanan didn't know was that he hasn't ever seen a baseball field until then and it was like every cell inside his body was vibrating with excitement. It was the first really bonding anything he's done with anyone in a long time and it was nice to think that someone else cared.

But, like everything good in Ezra's life, it didn't seem to last very long.

"They don't mean it, you know? _He_ doesn't mean it," a voice baritone and unfamiliar spoke behind him so suddenly he spun on his heels quickly surprised to see a tall lean man staring at him from beside the dugout.

"Who are you?" he instantly demanded, spine straightening so quickly Ezra swore he heard it creak in protest.

"You mean you don't know?" the man asked in a nasally sort of voice that gave him an air of superiority as he pretended to think and added, "I didn't think it was all that complicated to figure out."

Ezra knew he didn't need to know a name to know that he hated the stranger.

"Yeah, well, why don't you enlighten me?" Ezra snapped back and a voice that sounded eerily familiar to Hera's told him to not bait the shark because that was definitely what this guy was- a shark.

Ezra should really learn to listen to that tiny voice in his head.

The man dropped his arms and grinned a pointed smile as he introduced with a mockery bow, "My name's Martin Stein but I don't go by that awful thing anymore. You can call me-"

"Inquisitor," Ezra finished before the man got a chance too, suddenly breathless.

The Inquisitor grinned a sinister smile in reply.


	7. Chapter 7

**|| Okay, before the chapter I'd like to say a couple of things. First and most important thank you guys so much for the support of this story. I'll be honest, I didn't think it would get this much positive feedback and it seems like I'm still waiting for someone to point out every little flaw in the story (and there's plenty because the story doesn't line up exactly with canon). There is however, some very good questions I think need to be explained before I continue with this story, questions that probably won't be answered thoroughly in the story because that would seem a lot closer to mundane than anything else.**

**Why doesn't Zeb carry a gun / use one when him and Ezra were attacked? **Zeb hates guns. Like absolutely 100% loathes them as they were what was used when his family was murdered. The only reason he actually works at a gun shop is because it was the only place that would hire him and he needed the cash to help out Hera and Kanan. So he gets over his animosity with the things during work but absolutely refuses to use one, and cause the same pain he felt when he was young.

**Why don't their enemies attack them at once? **That would be dumb on their part. They might own the police but not the government and a foster family suddenly dying and nobody doing anything about it would raise some white flags. And then they'd be in danger of getting caught and be locked up.

**Why doesn't Kallus attack Zeb when he's most vulnerable (when he's drunk)?** Several reasons, actually. One, Zeb never wonders in the shady part of town where it would be easy to dispatch someone and cover it up. No, he's in family neighborhoods with mothers and fathers and children and a man everyone is vaguely familiar with suddenly getting shot would, again, raise some questions. Two, he doesn't want to make it obvious that it's murder. Kallus is a smart man and he knows what would happen if anybody was able to pin a murder charge on him and he isn't willing to take that chance. And, lastly, he likes playing with Zeb. Toying with him. When he tried to hit him with a car and Ezra saved him he realized how much fun it would be to play with the family.

**Are these people just going to go about life until one of them is managed to get dispatched?** Ezra certainly thinks so but he's new and the youngest and they're still dancing uncertainly around him. Does that mean he's right? Maybe. Maybe not. I guess there's only one way to find out…

* * *

7:

Ezra felt something inside his stomach solidify in fear, twisting itself from deep within as the blood rushed from his head. Now that the elusive Martin Stein- the Inquisitor- was standing in front of him he didn't want to know anything about him. He wanted to get far, far away because this guy was like a shark and Ezra felt like a guppy.

"W-what are you doing here?" Ezra demanded mentally berating himself on his stutter. Showing any type of weakness to this guy was equivalent to running in a lion's den covered in fresh meat.

The Inquisitor didn't seem to mind as he casually straightened his posture, conveying an even more threatening aura, as he smirked dangerously. And Ezra suddenly felt subconscious because this was the guy who scared Kanan and Hera and Sabine and killed innocent people.

"You killed Hera's father," Ezra suddenly accused, his anger causing his tone to turn accusatory and biting.

The Inquisitor just smirked as he observed his nails causally and replied almost offhandedly, "Cham Syndella isn't dead."

Ezra felt as if the bottom of his anger had suddenly vanished, leaving him high on the after affects. It left him shaking and scared and weak.

He refused to show that weakness to this _monster_ though.

"Kanan said-"

"Kanan doesn't know; neither does Hera and as far as either one of them is concerned, he is dead. What do you think though? Should you tell them so they can rush gallantly to his rescue?" Inquisitor asked, voice smug as he dropped his hand to smile that grin Ezra was coming to hate.

Ezra bunched his hands into fists at his side as he practically seethed through clenched teeth, "If you hurt either one of them I'll-"

"You'll what?" and this time there was no mirth in the man's voice as he narrowed slitted eyes at him and demand, "You're just a weak little boy with no direction in life. No family to call his own and anger as his only companion. What can something as insignificant as you do to someone like me?"

"Someone like you?" Ezra asked forcing his irate bitter comeback somewhere deep down where it wouldn't get him killed.

The Inquisitor just seemed to smile again and Ezra suddenly felt something cold creep down his spine when he noticed Kanan approaching them. The Inquisitor was still beside the dugout, out of sight, so all Kanan saw was Ezra waiting for him, pale and practically vibrating in anxiety and fear.

The man frowned, stopping in place and Ezra suddenly tried to figure out a way to convey the message that he needed to get far from here. Away from the Inquisitor.

Unfortunately for him, the Inquisitor must have caught on because he suddenly spun away from Kanan's blind spot and Ezra could image the malicious grin spread across the killer's face at the way all the color practically drained from Kanan's face leaving his face a dirty grey.

"You," Kanan snarled fists clenching around the baseball bat with murderous intent.

The Inquisitor raised both hands up from his side as he teased, "Me."

"What are you doing here?" Kanan demanded before his eyes focused on Ezra still standing behind the Inquisitor and Ezra felt his pulse quicken at the determined protective look that crossed the guy's features.

"Thinking," the Inquisitor explained before he turned to regard Ezra with a disinterested look as he snorted, "I see you and that woman are taking in anything now, huh?"

Ezra felt his head spin at the implication and he almost missed Kanan's next words.

"Who we do and do not allow in our home is our business and not yours," Kanan snarled, hatred rolling off him in waves and Ezra felt awe at the determined look that crossed the man's brow; the Inquisitor was less than impressed.

"Yes. I suppose so but, tell me, the fact that he is the offspring of Mira and Ephraim _Bridger_ have anything to do with taking him under your wing?"

Ezra felt as if the floor was ripped out from underneath him unexpectedly. How does someone like the Inquisitor know about his parents? And why did their names cause Kanan to look so stricken all of a sudden?

"Ezra?" Kanan asked, voice gentle as light green eyes probed the teen for any sort of explanation.

Ezra was done talking.

"Shut up!" he screamed at the Inquisitor all the rage he's kept in since walking in on his parents murder suddenly exploding as he balled his hands into fists at his side and he practically bellowed, "You don't know anything so shut up!"

This time when the Inquisitor looked at him, it was one of incredulousness. Like he couldn't believe Ezra was questioning his right on stomping on the names of the best people Ezra's ever known. He still remembers eavesdropping on conversations they had about helping others over themselves.

It was like a puzzle piece clicked in his brain as a sudden sickening realization struck him and it was like his lungs stopped working altogether. His knees wobbled underneath him as he ran both of his shaking hands through his hair, shaking his head in denial.

"So you've finally figured it out, have you?" the Inquisitor demanded, sounding sly and his knees finally gave out altogether and he ended up crouched over as his brain fervently tried denying what was undoubtedly the truth.

"No," Ezra gasped feeling sick all of a sudden and everything became so clear.

His parents. Their death. This man. Everything. It was all connected and it hadn't just been some random homicide. It had been planned.

Someone had wanted his parents to be murdered.

His brain shut down upon the realization.

* * *

Ezra couldn't have been out for very long because upon waking he realized he was still on the baseball field as were Kanan and the Inquisitor. Neither one of them seemed happy.

"-weak little thing, isn't he?" the Inquisitor's voice filtered through his brain as blue eyes blinked open and he idly wondered how unfair it all was for something meant to be fun left him with such an empty feeling.

He had accepted his parent's murder a long time ago but then he thought it had been random. Now he knew it was anything but. Someone actually hated them enough to break in their house and kill them right in front of their seven year old son…

"NO!" he screamed suddenly, cutting off whatever Kanan was going to say as he climbed on his knees to glower at the man before him and practically snarled, "My parents were good people. They didn't deserve to die."

"Weak and stupid," the Inquisitor noted with a smug tone and something inside of Ezra tightened as anger, familiar and dangerous, caused his hands to shake.

Behind the Inquisitor, Ezra was still able to see Kanan, brows furrowed and eyes sharp as they flittered from him to the Inquisitor back to him and then the Inquisitor. He was angry- that much was obvious by the way the man's hands were curled into tight fists at his side but there seemed to be another emotion hiding behind his eyes. One Ezra still wasn't used to on him.

Fear. Kanan was scared.

"I'm not stupid," Ezra ground out more for Kanan then anything else because he's been called worst before and he can deal with it; Kanan, on the other hand, looked like he needed a distraction- anything to get his mind off the fact that the Inquisitor was there mocking them and there wasn't a police car within 100 mile radius that wasn't in this guy's pocket.

Or, perhaps, that was just Ezra's bitter tone talking. Police have made no indication that they want to help him but he was street trash, nothing else. He was an orphan that couldn't stay in one place for very long and they had better things to do then deal with him.

But something about them always seemed crooked to Ezra.

"Oh look here," the Inquisitor taunted and Ezra blinked out of his trail of thought to see the man had turned so that he was staring at him with beady little eyes, "the little one speaks."

"Your issues are with me," Kanan spoke up, stepping forward like he was going to confront the killer but then halted.

Ezra felt something icy shiver down his spine as he recalled Zeb saying something similar to one of Kallus's goons. It just sounded a lot less selfless coming from him and a lot more threatening. Now Ezra was almost certain he was about to see a side of the man he's growing to respect that he doesn't want to see.

The Inquisitor just snickered again, looking at Ezra like he couldn't believe what Kanan was saying to him before he replied, "He's a Bridger, though."

Whatever the heck that meant.

Kanan seemed to understand, wide eyes landing on Ezra who could only match his gaze with a large blue eyes. The Inquisitor just snickered again, smirking that stupid smirk.

"Ah well, sad that the children of this world have to suffer the sins of their parents but here isn't really the time," the man decided as he turned to walk away though not before he promised, "I'll be back."

And then he was gone, walking away, and neither Ezra nor Kanan tried to stop him. Instead, Kanan rushed over to his side and helped him sit up.

"What is he waiting for?" Ezra asked voice tight and scared as he allowed Kanan's worried hands help him sit up.

Kanan's glossed over expression just glanced over in the direction he disappeared in and whispered in a voice so tight it was surprising he didn't strangle himself with it, "A better chance."

* * *

To say Hera wasn't happy was kind of an understatement.

Her complexion turned a waxy sort of pale as her green eyes turned to stone. Kanan just stood several feet away from her, head bowed slightly and Ezra couldn't help but think that they looked like a high school couple sharing a secret.

In some ways, he supposed, they were.

As one they both turned their heads to look at him- probably regarding his worth- and a knot formed somewhere deep inside him.

This was it. They no longer wanted him and they were going to throw him away like a pair of old shoes and he should've ran when he had the chance.

Deep down, though, he knew he wouldn't have been able to. Despite his best efforts, these people have become important to him and he feels protective around them. Like a stupid guard dog that can't take a hint…

"Ezra?" Hera asked, her voice breaking him from his thoughts and his head snapped up to find the woman had somehow moved across the room to stand in front of him without him noticing.

_You're losing your touch_, a mutinous voice somewhere inside his brain and Ezra resisted the urge to flinch, instead just shuffling around on the couch in sudden discomfort.

"Yes ma'am?" he asked, hiding the uncertainty in his voice- trading it with politeness.

If he had to guess, though, he would say that Hera saw through him like a freshly cleaned window. He wondered if she liked what she saw on the other side.

"Ezra," she repeated, voice soft and gentle and Ezra felt something that felt like hope shatter; she was getting rid of him, he was too much trouble.

"I'm sorry," he apologized bowing his head in shame and he felt rather than heard or saw her bend forward so she could cup both her hands around his cheeks.

"Don't," she demanded voice iron and eyes burning as she continued, "Don't you dare pin this on yourself. It's not your fault. Do you understand that? None of this is on you; I'm just sorry you got caught in the crossfire."

"Hera, he said that your father was still alive," Ezra piped up and it sounded like a protest.

The grip around his cheeks tightened before she dropped both her hands to her side, fisting her shaking palms and letting out a remorseful sigh.

"He's messing with your head, Ezra," and it sounded final, like she wasn't going to believe anything else and Ezra respected that.

It was like someone coming to him and telling him that his parents are alive- not dead. He wouldn't believe them and not because he saw their bloody bodies, but because to survive on the streets for as long as he did he accepted the fact that they were never coming back. Otherwise he never would've made it.

But something nagged itself in the back of his head and Ezra opened his mouth to argue with Hera but one look from Kanan instantly had him clamping his mouth shut.

"I'm sorry," he repeated and when she sighed again it was one of a weary mother.

"Ezra, if you're going to live with us, you need to stop apologizing all the time," she informed him, voice firm.

"What?" Ezra asked, head snapping back up and eyes practically bulging from his skull.

"You heard me," she huffed folding her arms over her chest, "Don't make me repeat myself."

"You mean, you still want me?" and it came off more needy and vulnerable than he meant to but- at the moment- he didn't care.

"Why would we not want you Ezra?" Kanan asked, speaking to him for the first time since the baseball field and Ezra almost forgot that he was present.

"I-I because the Inquisitor said something about my parents and I thought-"

"Forget everything the Inquisitor told you," Kanan demanded, voice firm and eyes hard as he came to stand directly in front of the youth, "He's a manipulative liar trying to get inside your head. To make you doubt yourself."

Ezra chuckled humorlessly, folding his arms around himself, as he mumbled, "Some list of enemies we've got, right?"

Kanan blinked, probably taken aback by Ezra's use of 'we' before he smiled and it was the closest thing to an expression his father used to give him that it made something inside of Ezra _ache_.

"Well…" the man trailed off, eyes rolling over to Hera and if Ezra was paying closer attention he would've noticed her shake her head.

He wasn't paying them any attention, though, lost in the fact that these people weren't getting rid of him. They wanted him. They weren't going to abandon him.

And this time he was determined not to lose them.

* * *

School was strange.

Nobody seemed to give him any special treatment but he couldn't shake the feeling of eyes following him. Everywhere he went, it seemed, someone was watching him and it didn't matter how many times he shook it off as paranoia the feeling remained.

"You alright kid?" Sabine asked him at lunch, leaving her group of friends to sit with him eyes bright with concern.

"I'm better than great," Ezra replied, trying to sound cool but failing miserably.

It did earn a slight smirk from her, though, as she settled in front of him seemingly happy. Content with him being there with her. It was a new feeling Ezra was still getting used to.

"Hey listen," Sabine suddenly spoke up opening her bottle of apple juice, "I'm supposed to have art today after school but if you want we can go hang out."

Tempting but Ezra still wasn't comfortable spending alone time with people. Not to mention the fact that every time he's alone, another person trying to kill him pops up.

"Uh… no Sabine, you don't have to-"

"Oh please," she interrupted rolling her eyes and smirking around her drink before she swallowed and continued, "I'm way ahead. I can afford to miss one day."

"Yeah but-"

Somewhere on the other side of the cafeteria, a crowd of people started laughing. Both Ezra and Sabine's attention snapped in that direction and Ezra heard Sabine sigh in exasperation.

"Wonder what they're looking at?" Ezra asked, just for the sake of talking and feeling any silence that settles between him and Sabine. It was strange, being uncomfortable about silence.

"Only one way to find out," Sabine replied already out of her chair and halfway across the cafeteria before Ezra's brain could register what she said.

He stumbled from his chair and followed quickly, like an obedient dog following his master.

They made it to the crowd and Sabine suddenly froze, back tense, as she practically growled, "Ezra."

"What?" Ezra asked, blinking in surprise and squinting to get a better look at what she was looking at; what he saw wasn't good.

On the bulletin board was a newspaper article about his parents' murder. Some kid had crossed out the word 'DEATH' in the headline, replacing it with 'SUICIDE.' Underneath it they scrawled 'BECAUSE WHO WOULD WANT TO TAKE CREDIT FOR SUCH A LOSER?' before pinning a picture of him underneath.

"Is this some kind of sick joke!" Sabine suddenly shouted shoving her way through and ripping the paper off the wall, crumpling it in a ball and glaring at the crowd, "Whose responsible?"

"Why does it matter?" some random kid Ezra's never seen before asked and Sabine's cold stare focused on them and Ezra wondered why the guy wasn't frozen stiff by the ice in his foster sister's eyes.

"It's sick and mean and-"

But Ezra didn't hear the rest of it. Something inside his stomach revolted and he sprinted out of the cafeteria, Sabine calling his name. He didn't stop though, didn't even bother slowing down as he made it to the bathroom and emptied his entire stomach in a toilet- the image of his dead parents flashing in his brain.

Wiping his mouth, he refused to allow himself to cry as he exited the stall and nearly ran headfirst with a dark skinned teen boy. Dark hair was trimmed close to his scalp and he looked equally surprised running into him.

"Wow man, you don't look so great," the boy pointed out and Ezra folded his arms over his chest as a light sparked in the boy's eyes and he exclaimed, "You're that kid from the news article!"

"So what?" Ezra snapped, angry and ready to punch someone in the face.

The boy blinked, relaxing his frame into a more passive one as he admitted, "Nothing. It's just… that's messed up and whoever did it is an idiot and a jerk and should mind their own business."

And Ezra felt the hostile feeling inside him uncurl when he realized the kid was on his side. At least he now knew not everyone in this school are complete jerks.

"Oh hey, the name's Zare Leonis," the boy introduced, sticking his hand out in greeting smile bleeding friendliness.

And Ezra ignored the protesting voice in the back of his brain as he accepted the hand.

"Ezra," he replied honestly, "Ezra Bridger."

* * *

He found Sabine ripping more of the articles off the wall, face tight with anger, and when he tapped her on the shoulder he swore she nearly swung at him. Recognition flickered in her expression before she got a chance to and her face melted into one of sympathy.

"Ezra-"

"Save it," he interrupted not wanting to hear an apology from her, "It's not your fault."

"I swear, the second I find out who's responsible he's a dead man," she promised, eyes bright with hatred and something warm and fuzzy tickled Ezra's insides.

It was nice, knowing there were at least two people on his side.

"It's fine. Just some stupid prank," Ezra brushed off although on the inside he was itching to kill the punk himself.

Her shoulders sagged as she asked, "You sure?"

Ezra just nodded, not trusting his voice. He knew the second he would try to say anything it would come off as either stupid or hypocritical.

"Come on," she finally urged balling the papers into a ball and slamming them in a trashcan, "Let's go home."

"But your club-"

"Forget it," she denied beckoning him to follow with a shrug of her arm, "I can afford to miss a day."

So Ezra hurried to follow her and for the first time in a long time he felt happy, like he finally found a place where he belonged.

And when he practically shredded one of the articles off the wall, Sabine didn't comment.

* * *

**|| Again, sorry for the late update and short chapter. Hope you enjoyed it though and before anyone says anything- I know Zare doesn't know Ezra's real name but he wouldn't just give some random alias to some kid he meets in the bathroom. That would be weird and creepy.**

**Also, don't expect another author's note anytime soon. I don't like how they ruin the flow of the story. Keep up the good work guys. Your reviews always make me smile. ||**


	8. Chapter 8

8:

Three days after the 'incident' at lunch and Ezra finally came to the conclusion that not everyone was out to hurt him.

Sabine had, of course, tried to show him that not everyone at the school were complete jerks and that she was willing to punch anyone who gave him a hard time about being an orphan. Naturally, he disregarded all of her concern and went through his life pitying himself and his crappy life.

Meeting Zare had helped some but it wasn't like they became instant besties or anything. He hadn't even seen him again, which was fine. It wasn't like he was searching for him or anything. Nope. Definitely not. Besides, there was something about Zare's eyes that Ezra still didn't quite trust. It was almost like they were constantly seeking something.

Not that Ezra would know. He only met the guy once right after the incident before he seemed to vanish completely. Ezra wasn't even sure the guy went to this school. _Ezra_ certainly didn't want to go to this school.

But he had too or tell Hera or Kanan what happened- something Sabine thinks he should do anyways but he adamantly refused and forced her to swear that she wouldn't tell them. It wasn't any of her business and Ezra was fine. He lived 7 years on his own, he can deal with bullies.

Wrong.

He hadn't even gone back in the lunch room and every time he catches sight of the poster he couldn't help but think about everyone who saw it and laughed at it. The thought made him sick and he always ends up practically shredding the thing off the wall. And, if anything, he became even more reserved and recluse and not even the thought of Martin Stein or Inquisitor or whatever left a looming sensation in his stomach.

And three whole days managed to pass before he realized that not everyone at the school were complete jerks. _Most_ were, sure, but not all. And it had been a complete fluke that he even ran into the guy to begin with.

It was lunch- which he was skipping, _again_\- and Ezra was wondering the halls. Usually he'd just duck into an empty bathroom stall to sit it out but felt that was too cliché and the bathroom always smelt like whatever they were serving at lunch, which was gross.

So today, no bathroom, and he spent most his life in the shadows that he was capable of hiding from all the teachers prowling for skippers. Unfortunately, that also met that the other kid didn't see him and Ezra was too busy drowning in his sorrows that he missed him until they collided.

Ezra stumbled backwards, feeling stupid because this was the second time he's collided with another person in three days and he was usually more graceful than that.

"I'm so sorry," Ezra quickly apologized before finally getting a good look at the guy he hit.

He looked to be the same age as him with auburn brown hair and dark eyes, and when he blinked at Ezra he looked equally as bashful as Ezra felt. They were both skipping class and just managed to bust the other.

"Yeah," the boy murmured thoughtful as he narrowed a suspicious gaze towards Ezra, making the teen feel uncomfortable.

Ezra avoided his gaze awkwardly, wishing the world would just open up a hulking cavern and take him deep inside forever. That way he couldn't be embarrassed or hurt.

"Aren't you that kid from those posters I keep seeing everywhere?" the kid finally asked and Ezra's stomach turned into a block of ice.

Ezra didn't reply which seemed to be answer enough because the kid's eyes lit up with sudden understanding as he grinned stupidly.

"Yeah. You totally are," he blabbered before sobering and spoke in a softer, gentler tone, "Is it true? That your parents are dead?"

Ezra felt something defensive curl around his spine as he snapped, "Yeah. They are. What's it to someone like you?"

The kid blinked in surprise, probably wasn't expecting Ezra to react quite as violently, before he asked in numb shock, "Someone like me?"

"Yeah," Ezra practically spat, "Some random jerk who doesn't even know me, yet think it's cute to rub in my face that my parents are gone and there was nothing I could-" he choked off on the word and felt his stupid eyes start to burn as he bowed his head in shame.

"Rub it?" the guy repeated like a stupid parrot before understanding seemed to flash across his face as he quickly reassured, "No. It's not like that. I swear. I- it's awful that someone did that to you and I'm sorry about your parents."

Ezra suddenly felt bad for lashing out at someone who probably had nothing to do with the prank and he crossed his arms over his chest in an almost defensive manner as he studied the guy more closely.

He seemed genuine, at least. If he was setting Ezra up for another cruel joke then he was an excellent actor. Brown eyes had gone soft and his face bled sympathy and despite everything Ezra once believed, he allowed his defenses down slightly.

He's been spending too much time with his foster family.

"Yeah," Ezra shrugged suddenly uncomfortable with the conversation as he rubbed his arms more out of the need to do something than anything else, "It sucks."

"Yeah," the guy parroted, eyes shifting towards the floor in a sudden hurt puppy expression as he muttered, "I lost my dad several years ago. Now it's just me and my mom."

"Aw man," Ezra mumbled suddenly feeling like a jerk for lashing at someone who was probably going through something similar to him, "Now I feel like an idiot."

To his surprise, the boy just grinned at him as he shrugged it off, "Nah. Don't fret over it. I did come off a little suspiciously. The name's Jai Kell. What about you?"

"Ezra Bridger," Ezra responded with a smile.

It was a start.

* * *

Ezra ended up running into Jai again before school ended and they ended up talking for a long time so Ezra was nearly 20 minutes later than usual. The second the door closed behind him, though, he instantly knew something was different. Not wrong, necessarily, just… off.

His stomach sank to his shoes at the thought of either the Inquisitor or Kallus breaking in and hurting someone because, certainly, they were like one huge target awaiting for destruction. Nothing seemed broken or toppled over, though, and it wasn't the looming sense of dread he felt 7 years ago.

He walked upstairs, towards his room, when he heard the faintest whispers coming from the other side of the wooden door. Pausing, Ezra bent over to try and make out the words. He knew it was wrong but something inside urged him to eavesdrop rather than just stroll in like he would on a normal day.

"Does Kanan and Hera know?" Zeb's unmistakable voice asked and Ezra felt something solid settle in his gut.

Know what?

"No," Sabine replied and she sounded millimeters away from losing it, "He won't let me tell them. I'm not even supposed to tell _you_."

"Then why are you?" Zeb asked suspiciously and Ezra could imagine the big guy crossing his arms over his chest and raising an incredulously eyebrow at the girl.

Sabine huffed in frustration, probably raised her arms in the air like how angry people do, before growling, "Because I'm worried about him. He hasn't even gone to lunch since then and he's already so skinny and short-"

Ezra blinked. Short? He didn't think he was _that_ short. For a guy, probably, but he hadn't even hit puberty yet and it wasn't like he was below 5 feet so he wouldn't consider his stature being that big of a deal. Besides, it helped when he tried to escape away from something really fast.

Then another thought struck him and he realized what they were talking about.

"What would you like me to do?" Zeb suddenly demanded, "Beat him up so he'll get over a stupid prank done by some immature bullies."

"That's just the thing, Zeb," she replied with earnest, "He's already had a rough life and now some idiots dug up a tragic past and practically rubbed it in his face."

Zeb seemed to pause before he asked in a carefully controlled voice, "What exactly did they do?"

So Sabine just told him about the bullying. She hasn't yet told him what actually happened.

Ezra's hand was on the doorknob, yanking it open before he was consciously aware of what he was doing. And he felt like an idiot. Standing in the doorway while Sabine and Zeb wore an expression of someone who were just talking about you.

They were, Ezra realized, about how skinny and short he was.

Then Zeb snorted, folding muscular arms over his chest as he asked, "Bout time you got home."

Ezra didn't bother to reply. He just stared at Sabine's abashed expression with a hurt gaze of his own. He doesn't trust easily and he trusted her to not tell anybody about the incident yet she did anyways.

"Ezra," she started but Ezra was still more accustomed to shutting people out and he brushed away her worried expression as he strolled proudly to his bed.

"Forget it, Sabine," he replied with a hand wave, "It's not like it's any of my business of anything."

"Ezra," she repeated, a little rougher as she snapped, "This is serious. You can't just avoid the situation all together and I'm not going to stand around and watch as this tears you apart."

"What does it matter to you?" Ezra demanded, spinning around to meet her gaze with a harsh frown, "It's not like you actually care, right? I'm not your obligation or whatever and I certainly don't need your help dealing with this."

"But you're not dealing!" she reminded, "You're avoiding it! Pretending like it didn't happen! Well, it did happen and you're incapable of accepting that!"

"Accepting what?" Ezra shouted, "That my parents are dead? That they were murdered in our home and I was too late to do anything? That the only reason I'm even alive is because the neighbors heard my screaming and rushed over with a gun to see what happened?"

He paused, panting, as what he just said sank in and he suddenly felt ill again. From Sabine and Zeb's expressions, so were they.

"Forget it," he gasped shaking his head madly, "Forget it."

And then he was out the door, down the stairs and halfway down the street before he realized he had even started running to begin with, Sabine's shouts of his name still echoing in his ears.

Even then, he didn't stop running.

* * *

This is what Ezra knows:

_His parents had been murdered when he was 7._

_He remembered walking in to find them, so still and lifeless, with a deranged killer looming over them._

_And there was red. So much red, staining everything._

_His mom spoke and the knife ended up in her back._

_More red._

_He started screaming._

* * *

Ezra figured that he technically ran away.

It was dark now and he still hasn't started to head back. He hadn't called any of them to reassure that he was fine, and every time he hears a motorcycle he quickly ducks behind the first thing he could find.

Stupid, he knew, because there was no way Zeb would bother searching for him. He didn't even like him.

And, besides, it wasn't like Ezra was planning on staying gone. He had grown rather fond of having his own bed to sleep in and an abundance of food that filled the fridge and to not have to worry about when or where he was going to clean himself. He just needed space- that was it. Time to think over everything.

The worst part was that he came to the conclusion that Sabine was right. He had been avoiding his problem at school but it was also more than that. He's been avoiding anything that had to do with what happened that night 7 years ago.

"Ezra?" a sudden voice suddenly asked and Ezra literally jumped in the air from fright.

Spinning around he realized it was just Jai, though, and he forced a calm smile to cross his features. A smile Jai didn't believe if his narrowed eyes or tight frown was anything to go by.

"Jai!" he exclaimed a little too loudly as he took a step back, blue eyes already seeking out an escape route, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm going to the store to buy some medicine for my mom. She somehow contracted the cold and has had trouble sleeping. What are you doing?" Jai demanded and it was the first time Ezra realized he ended up beside an old run down convenient store.

How ironic considering that had been what got him into this whole mess to begin with.

"I'm just clearing my head," Ezra shrugged like it wasn't a big deal.

"By yourself? In the dark? On a school night?" Jai asked crossing tan arms over his chest and raising an eyebrow at him telling Ezra that he wasn't buying a single word Ezra was selling.

Bummer.

Ezra just shrugged and another thought must have occurred to Jai as he suddenly blurted, "Is that even legal? For a foster kid to leave the house past dark?"

How would Ezra know? It wasn't like he bothered to remember any rules of the foster system. Until recently he was certain he wasn't going to stay as one for long but, admittedly, he's grown accustomed to living in a home. It helped whenever it rained.

Ezra just shrugged again and Jai rolled his eyes as he grumbled sarcastically, "Wow. You're really into this, huh?"

"Jai," Ezra finally said finding his words, "I think I ran away."

Which why he just admitted that, he wasn't sure but some part of him hoped Jai would talk him out of it. When Jai didn't say anything, Ezra risked a glance at him. The teen's face had paled slightly as his eyes bulged from his face in a poor impression of a suffocating fish.

"Seriously?" Jai suddenly choked out and Ezra just shrugged again. For some reason, his mouth had stopped working.

"Why?" Jai demanded and he sounded horrified by the idea, "Are you being abused or something? In the foster home because I hear stories about stuff like that happening and-"

"Relax," Ezra snapped at the slightly freaking out teen, "They're not abusing me. They're actually quite nice. Like my parents once were…"

He trailed off, the image of their bloody butchered bodies flashing through his brain.

"Whoa. Okay. So why are you suddenly running away?" Jai demanded and some part of him wanted to argue that it hadn't been sudden; that he had been plotting this since he arrived.

"I don't know," Ezra heard himself admit, "They stir up bad memories."

And it was only a matter of time before he spilled enough for them to discover the truth. Then for certain they would get rid of him. After all, who would want a broken toy?

"Does this have something to do with the prank at school?" Jai demanded as if the thought just crossed his mind and he stared at Ezra in horror as he reassured, "Ezra, there was no way that could be your fault."

"I shouldn't be alive," Ezra muttered, balling his hands into tight fists and he realized he was shaking as he repeated, "I shouldn't be alive."

Jai, horrorstricken, opened his mouth to reply when a bolt of lightning was the only warning they got before rain poured down on top of their heads. Ezra didn't bother waiting for Jai before he bolted towards the convenient store, where he shook off most of the water soaking through his clothes and hair.

"Whoa. Down boy," Jai teased as he entered the store behind him, "It's really pouring out there, huh?"

"Yeah. I guess," Ezra shrugged moving away from him, deeper in the store; the words he just spoke playing through his head on repeat.

Zeb told him once that he wished he had died with his family. Ezra had replied with (rightful) horror at that, and yet now he had just practically told Jai that he should've died with his parents. Didn't that make him a hypocrite? He thinks it does.

"Hey Ezra!" Jai called at his retreating form and the sound of his wet shoes squeaking across the tiled floor was the only indication that the guy was following him.

"Jai, forget everything I just said," Ezra pleaded as he refused to make eye contact, "I didn't mean that."

"Well… what _did_ you mean?" Jai demanded and Ezra realized that he was just going to let it go. Nor was he sure how he felt about that.

"I just meant that I was there and got lucky. Someone actually came to rescue me," Ezra explained, not turning around to meet Jai's eyes.

It wasn't like any of this was even any of his business. He was just being nosy. A nosy concerned friend.

Ezra blinked again. It's been a while since he's had any friends, much less some who actually worry about him.

"Ezra," Jai spoke and it sounded like a statement and a question simultaneously, "You know those jerks at school were just being jerks. It's not your fault your parents are dead."

"Yeah. I got that," Ezra murmured as the rain continued to beat on the convenient store roof.

Reaching over, he grabbed some medicine off the shelf and tossed it to Jai before he said, "Here. You should probably get home to your sick mother."

"Yeah," Jai murmured dumbly as he cradled the cold medicine in his hands before he said, "I'll see you tomorrow at school, I guess."

Ezra waved goodbye at him before mumbling, "Yeah."

* * *

This is what Ezra has pieced together:

_It had been his birthday._

_His parents had let him go over to a friend's house to celebrate after much begging and pleading from him. After all, they had spent all day celebrating together and Ezra really wanted to spend time with his friends too. So they relented and, years later, Ezra will realize that was the only reason he survived._

_His friend's dad drove him back after cake and a movie and Ezra remembered waving him goodbye before entering the house._

_ "__Mommy! Daddy! I'm home!" he called before a dreadful sensation crept through his bones when no response came back._

_They couldn't be asleep. He was their only kid and they usually stayed up to greet him whenever he was permitted out of the house by himself._

_ "__Mommy? Daddy?" Ezra asked as he crept deeper in the house, making the turn that would lead him in the kitchen, where he froze in stark horror._

_Red covered everything: the floor, the walls, his parents, and the guy standing over them gripping a butcher knife._

_ "__Ezra," his mom gasped in horror, "Run."_

_The butcher knife went down into her back and all Ezra remembered afterwards was him wailing in horror as the red crept towards him…_

* * *

A hand touched Ezra's shoulder and he bolted back into awareness, the sickening horror of that night rushing over him with renewed strength. Then he blinked and realized it had just been the store clerk and that he had somehow nodded off waiting for the storm to pass.

"Kid, the storm's over," the pimpled red headed guy informed him and Ezra nodded his thanks, rising to his feet and headed out the door.

He hadn't even realized where he was going until he ended up in front of the Ghost and Hera had already rushed out the door to gather him in her arms. She was shaking too. Or that he had somehow managed to pass it on to her.

"Hera, I'm sorry," he mumbled softly, prying himself free from her grasp.

"It's alright," she reassured, "We'll punish you later. After you no longer look like a soaking wet puppy."

Ezra allowed a tiny smile to grace his features as he rolled her inside where Chopper barked disbelievingly at him. Ezra just smiled at him as he passed, settling in one of the kitchen chairs Hera all but forced him in.

"What were you thinking?" she demanded as she went to the phone to contact Kanan probably, "We were all worried sick about you."

"Sorry," Ezra repeated feeling ashamed as he clipped his feet together, "I just… needed some time alone."

"From what?" she asked, blinking in surprise at him and Ezra realized now would be the perfect time to tell her everything about his parents and the bullying.

Then he remembered Sabine and Zeb and hated how he just shrugged and grumbled, "Just… stuff, I guess."

She didn't bother to press and Ezra avoided her with his eyes so he just heard her reassure whoever was on the other side that he had come back and was fine and Ezra wondered why they seemed so concerned. Then it struck him: both Kallus and the Inquisitor know who he is, what he looks like. It wouldn't have been all that overly complicated to just swoop him off the streets to draw Hera and Kanan out in the open.

A whole new sense of self hate washed over Ezra as he realized how much worst that could've ended for him. For all of them and, for whatever reason, it hurt him more to think about how it would've hurt _them_ rather than him.

Maybe he really was a selfish jerk.

Or maybe he has yet to open himself up long enough to realize that other people care about him too.

* * *

This is what Ezra's been told:

_He had been lucky._

_His neighbor heard the screaming and rushed over to make sure everything was okay, bringing along the gun he keeps at his door at all the time in case of an intruder. He barged in the kitchen, saw the blood and the knife and Ezra and instantly jumped in to protect him._

_The murderer made a run for it, not deeming it worth potentially losing his life over a still screaming kid and an angry guy with a gun._

_Two days later, the police caught the killer and threw him in prison for life._

_None of the events had been Ezra's fault._

* * *

Ezra avoided lunch in a bathroom stall the next day.

He saw Jai earlier that morning so the teen knew that he didn't run away, at least, and Ezra knew he should've gone to lunch to face his problems but couldn't bring himself too. His stomach still felt sick, like it revolt on him any second.

The door to the bathroom opened and Ezra heard footsteps as someone stormed inside, obviously angry at something. And if that hadn't been a dead giveaway then the screaming on the phone did.

"I don't care! She's my sister! ... What? … No, I- … Never… Absolutely. I just thought- … Alright. Fine. Whatever," whoever was on the phone snapped it shut angrily before bellowing, "Stupid prick-"

Ezra's backpack tipped over with a soft thud and Ezra felt his breathe catch in the back of his throat as whoever had been speaking paused, turning towards the sound with what felt like an angry aura.

"Alright. Come out whoever you are. You've been busted," and Ezra finally recognized the voice as Zare's and he felt momentarily bad about eavesdropping on the conversation.

Then he remembered he was there first and it wasn't his fault Zare came strolling in screaming about personal problems.

He opened the door and was instantly met with Zare's angry unimpressed face as the teen demanded, "What is with you and bathrooms?"

So Zare recognized him also.

"That's none of your business," Ezra replied, sounding petty and not even caring, as he crossed his arms and turned away with a self-righteous aura.

Zare didn't hit him but Ezra kind of expected him too.

"Neither is whatever I was just talking about yet you had no problem listening in on that, didn't you?" Zare demanded and Ezra spun to face him, mouth hanging open incredulously.

"I was here first!" Ezra screamed throwing his arms in the air, "How is that my fault?"

Zare opened his mouth before his eyes bulged from his skull and he quickly snapped it close. Then he opened it again before reclosing it and seemed to ponder it for a second longer.

"You're right," he admitted with a sheepish shrug, "Sorry."

Ezra blinked at him dubiously before he decided to let the matter drop. It wasn't even that important to begin with.

"It's okay," Ezra promised, "Everything alright?"

Zare shook his head, "No. Several years ago my sister went missing and no matter who I try to help me look for her they just tell me that she left me and to get over it. She didn't want to be found."

"Harsh," Ezra hissed in sympathy, "Any idea what happened?"

"Yeah. She disappeared," Zare snapped, "and I keep replaying our last phone call over and over again in my head. Trying to figure out what she meant."

"Really?" Ezra asked, his curiosity getting the best of him as he asked, "What did she say?"

This time Zare focused on him untrustingly and Ezra raised both hands in surrender as he reassured, "Just trying to help."

Zare still seemed unsure but he relented anyways.

Letting out a deep sigh he replayed, "She told me to watch out for Martin Stein," he laughed awkwardly as he shrugged his shoulders, "Crazy right? I've never even heard of that name before in my life."


	9. Chapter 9

9:

Ezra didn't mention Zare or his sister to his foster family later that day. He didn't even tell Zare anything, just spewed some lie about him needing to be somewhere before ducking out the bathroom and resisted the urge to throw up.

The Inquisitor, it seemed, got around and it wasn't just Kanan he threatened but Zare's sister. All those people he killed. Him.

Did that mean him?

Was he threatened by the admittedly suave killer? He felt like he was, but that's the same feeling he's felt since Zeb came home all those nights ago drunk.

He thought back to his parents, how they were killed, and a sudden chill settled over him so abruptly he couldn't help but wonder if the Inquisitor had something to do with it too. It felt like that when they were at the baseball field, talking casually about who his parents were. What they did.

Ezra's chest suddenly hurt.

Closing blue eyes, he took a deep breath and concentrated. Cleared his mind from any stray thoughts as he tried piecing together a puzzle where every puzzle piece seemed completely unrelated. Ezra was smart enough to know that that wasn't the case. Nothing was isolated; he just had to figure out how it all coincided.

Starting with what happened to his parents 7 years ago.

He had been so caught up in his own thoughts, he didn't even notice Jai until the brown headed youth was right on top of him, practically beaming.

"Missed you at lunch," Jai informed him brightly, "Sabine Wren was looking for you too, so I instantly sought you out because if she's looking for you then you'll need all the help you can get."

Ezra chuckled before replied, "Thanks Jai, but I think I got her covered."

"Yeah. That's what all the boys say before she ends up knocking them down on their a-"

The bell rang, interrupting Jai long enough for Ezra to say his good byes before disappearing to find Sabine. He didn't want her to freak out and contact Hera or Kanan and accidently (or purposefully) spill about the whole bullying thing.

He found her outside, not in class, and if that wasn't surprising enough the fact that he was able to sneak up on her without trying nearly threw him for a loop.

"Sabine?" he asked her cautiously and watched, taken aback, as she leapt in the air with a loud sounding screech, spinning on her heels.

Violet eyes focused on him and her face melted into a more friendlier, composed one as she settled one hand over her chest and sighed, "You frightened me kid."

"Sorry," Ezra apologized quickly, "I didn't mean to."

True, yes.

Sabine must have seen the truth in his eyes as she relaxed fully and reassured, "I know."

Ezra shuffled uncomfortably, unsure on what to say next. He felt awkward and he would've put money on Sabine recognizing the awkwardness he felt, which was weird. He'd always been so good at hiding his feeling inside- putting up a farce that no one could detect.

At least, up until recently.

Now it seemed harder and harder to hide how he felt, what he felt. When he was angry he lashed out, and when he was happy he laughed.

Happy…

It's been a while since he referred to himself that way… Happy. He kind of liked it, forgot how much he liked it.

"You know kid, you look good smiling," Sabine noted with a slight smirk as her eyes bored into him knowingly.

Ezra ducked his head, heat rising in his cheeks.

He couldn't stop the smile from crossing his face, though. He couldn't remember the last time someone complimented him much less a girl- a very pretty smart girl whom Ezra admires greatly.

It was then that he realized that he felt comfortable. Around Sabine and Kanan and Hera. Even Zeb, whose rough edges and harsh words have started to grow on him. And it was nice, knowing that there were people out that that could make him feel comfortable and happy and loved…

"Uh… hello?" Sabine asked him, breaking him from his thoughts and he blinked back up at her shyly and she grinned as she asked, "You still in there kid?"

"Yeah," Ezra replied with only the slightest hint of pause before he grinned back and replied more surely, "Yeah, I'm here. So… uh… what are you doing out here? Alone?"

Sabine's expression instantly sobered as she explained, "I was looking for you. I don't know… you haven't shown up to lunch since the flyer incident and I was concerned-"

"Because I'm already so short and skinny. Yes, I know," Ezra replied exaggerated as he rolled his eyes and smiled at her.

She looked away embarrassed. Good. Maybe next time she won't so brazenly speak out against people when they could be lurking just behind the door…

"I'm really sorry," she apologized rubbing the back of her neck and asked, "I didn't intend for you to hear that."

"Its fine," Ezra reassured with a slight shrug, "I've been called worst."

She scoffed, rolling her eyes and Ezra knew that he'd forgiven her. It wasn't her fault she was concerned, and it wasn't her fault that Ezra had a tendency to withdraw in himself defensively. It was how he was raised, hardened by his many years living on the streets.

"Come on," she finally beckoned strolling towards him, placing her hand on his shoulder before spinning him around as she kept walking and called over her shoulder, "We're already late for school."

Ezra grinned, running to follow her.

And the rest of the school day passed without incident and he was immensely thankful when he saw Hera waiting for him out front.

"Hello," she greeted him as he went to climb in, Chopper immediately jumping from the backseat to steal the passenger side of the car.

"Hey!" Ezra squawked, wide-eyed and mouth open in surprise.

His seat couldn't seriously just been stolen by a _dog_, could it?

Something told him he could and it wasn't Hera's gentle smile as she watched the scene unfold. It also had nothing to do with Chopper's smug face or the way his cheeks were burning.

"Hey Ezra, wait up!" a voice suddenly called behind him and he spun quickly to see Jai sprint up beside them, panting and grinning like an idiot.

"Whoa. Hey. What's up?" Ezra asked watching as Jai bent over his knees to catch his breath.

"Nothing," Jai grunted as he straightened up, brown eyes focusing on Hera and Chopper before he asked curiously, "Is this your foster family?"

"Some of them," Ezra nodded turning to face Hera, surprised to see her eyes had hardened slightly a kind smile still gracing her lips.

She was amazing- Hera.

Her entire posture and expression could relay a certain emotion- a very convincing emotion- but sometimes something just felt off, like she didn't actually mean it. And something in her eyes definitely said something different was running through her head.

Chopper growled at Jai, who blinked in shock before refocusing back on Ezra and grinned.

"Okay," he spoke with a bright expression, "Just making sure you weren't be harassed by any more bullies. That would suck, right?"

Ezra's ears burnt as he hissed a little too harshly, "Jai."

Because he hadn't wanted Hera to know about that, to worry about that. Yet life always seemed to find a way to blow everything up in his face.

Jai blinked, seemingly catching on except he didn't act embarrassed. He just shrugged and offered an apology; it took a second before Ezra concluded that he must have already _knew_. That he purposely ran over to rat him out because he tried running away last night and forgot to go to lunch and he was almost as bad as Sabine.

"Well, bye," Jai finally said waving goodbye and taking off before Ezra got the chance to throttle him.

"Ezra?" Hera asked part curious and disappointed and he silently regrouped himself before turning around with a false grin on his face.

"I- uh- yeah," Ezra muttered awkwardly.

"Bullies?" she asked in a disappointed motherly voice and Ezra instantly knew he was busted.

* * *

He ended up having to tell both her and Kanan, which was awful.

Hera gasped in horror, several shades paler, while Kanan seemed to regard the whole story with a stony silence that made Ezra uncomfortable. He did feel better afterwards, though. Lighter, almost, as he watched with a concerned edge at Kanan and Hera.

It didn't come as a surprise when Kanan finally spoke first, breaking the silence that settled over them.

"It wasn't your fault," he reassured eyes practically boring into Ezra's soul, "Everything that happened to your parents. It wasn't your fault."

Ezra glanced away, blocking out the horrid images that's haunted him since he was young as he swallowed thickly.

It wasn't his fault.

How often had he heard those words?

It wasn't his fault his parents died. It wasn't his fault he had gotten a crappy foster family after that. It wasn't his fault he broke his arms when he clumsily fell down the stairs.

It wasn't his fault.

None of it was his fault.

Now if he could only start finally believing it.

"I know," he said instead because it was what they wanted to hear; it was what they always want to hear and Ezra learned a long time ago to say what everybody wanted to hear.

It was easier that way. Less painful, somehow.

Warm hands gripped his shoulder suddenly, and he turned shocked eyes up to the man before him. He blinked at the seriousness in the man's expression, at the way Kanan seemed to see everything deep inside of him.

They all could, it seemed, and it was different to say the least.

"Ezra, look at me," Kanan ground out seriously as he prompted for him to focus on his eyes, "_None_ of it had been your fault, and I'm sorry life gave you such a crappy hand at life."

That made two of them.

Three, if Hera's serious expression behind Kanan's shoulder was anything to go by. Four when he added Sabine, who made it very clear what she thought about it.

Chopped wined slightly, coming to rest his large head on Ezra's leg and Ezra knew without needing to know that Chopper was on his side too. That made five and if he had to rationalize a guess, six when he added in Zeb.

Six made a family.

Six made a home.

Ezra realized then that he might have finally found his home.

Of course it came all crashing down soon after.

* * *

Ezra woke up several days later in a bad mood.

It wasn't anything anybody did to him- even the bullies had calmed down and he hadn't heard from them in several days. It wasn't anything any of them deserved either. They were all good people, kind people and if this had been anything but real life he would've ventured so far as calling them heroes.

Nevertheless, though, he woke up knowing it would be a bad day.

For the most part, he was right.

It was a Saturday, and when he finally climbed out of bed to go downstairs Kanan was the one awake to greet him. Not unusual, just not normal. Not when Hera was usually beside him smiling lovingly at the man.

"Good morning kid," Kanan greeted and Ezra frowned.

They must have had some sort of meeting to secretly agree on referring to him as 'kid' all the time. It wasn't like he was _that_ much younger than Sabine yet not once had anybody referred to her like a child all the time. He briefly considered it had something to do with his past, and it was their way of showing affection but disregarded it because of his sour mood.

He didn't want to be coddled. He never asked for it.

"Morning," he grumbled and Kanan raised both eyebrows in surprise.

It was something Ezra was slowly becoming accustomed to. One second the man could be serious and assertive but the next he was as kind and silly as the rest of them. And it was odd, not even his real father having been _that_ odd.

"What's gotten into you kid?" he asked and Ezra averted his gaze as he shrugged lazily.

Kanan obviously didn't believe him but didn't press. He just followed him in the kitchen, playing it off when he refilled his cup full of coffee before leaning casually against the counter.

Ezra bent over inside the fridge, pulling out the orange juice which slipped from his grasp and clattered to the ground in a sticky orange mess.

"Aw man," Ezra grumbled setting his cup on the counter and looking around for a way to wipe it up.

"Here," Kanan offered holding out a dishrag, which Ezra accepted without reply and promptly moped up the soggy mess.

"Everything alright?" Kanan repeated as he watched from a distance that was close but not too close.

"Sure," Ezra shrugged in a tone of voice that even he knew wasn't fooling anybody.

He couldn't help it though. Usually he'd spend today holed up somewhere, silently pitying himself because he knew nobody else would.

He was alone in his grief.

That's what he would always tell himself.

Kanan must have been determined to convince him otherwise because he took the rag from him when he finished to set it in the laundry room. Ezra watched him do it, eyes cold and aloof before he averted his gaze.

It was Saturday, and he wanted nothing more to curl under his covers and not move the rest of the day…

"Ezra?" and a hand tapped his shoulder and he couldn't help the reaction that followed.

He scrambled backwards, lashing out at the hand. He managed a lucky strike in Kanan's chest and guilt instantly flooded him as the man seemed to gasp back in shock. Ezra's certainly never _attacked_ any of them before.

"Kanan," Ezra scrambled wide eyed and ashamed, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"Kid, whatever your problem is you need to spill," Kanan finally grunted once he regathered himself, rubbing his chest tenderly.

Ezra blinked before explained cryptically, "I'm sorry Kanan. I don't mean to wear you out. It's just… not a good day."

"Today?" Kanan asked in surprise and Ezra just shrugged.

"The day my parents were killed," Ezra offered, only this time it didn't make him feel lighter. If anything, he felt heavier. Boggled down by the pain in his chest at the thought of his parents' death…

"Aw kid," Kanan sighed deflating his shoulders sympathetically as he finally understood.

Ezra didn't want understanding though. He wanted today to not be a thing, for his parents to still be alive and happy and…

Not gone.

Ezra sucked in a breath, rubbing his hands over his face wearily before rising to his feet. Kanan stepped back, allowing him some space. For that, Ezra was grateful. He didn't feel like being crowded, especially not by Kanan. Not after Ezra hit him.

"Hey kid," Kanan spoke drawing Ezra from his thoughts, "Come on. Let's go try that baseball thing again."

Ezra was reluctant but guilt could be a powerful thing and he relented, and it wasn't like Kanan pressured him into doing it or even brought up being hit by him ever again. Ezra just felt bad for doing it and was more than happy to do whatever the man wanted to do- no matter the day.

Which ended up being fine.

Baseball was fun and it turned out Kanan knew a lot about it, sprouting random statistics and facts throughout the outing. Ezra actually had to conceal his smirk on a few occasions because he never really noticed how much a nerd Kanan could be.

It was when they came home, though, that Ezra's good mood went back into pieces though.

The TV was on, Hera curled up on the couch sipping coffee delicately. She smiled upon seeing them, but Ezra ignored her, his gaze fixated on the screen behind her. The screen that was flashing a wanted poster of a frowning face he knew…

"I've got to go," he choked out, turning around to walk out the door.

Kanan caught his elbow before asking, "Ezra, what's wrong?"

Ezra just swallowed, shaking his head to clear the old thoughts and feelings before he muttered nearly breathless, "Nothing. I just… today has stirred up some memories."

Then Kanan had let him go and Ezra quickly disappeared out the door before any of them got the chance to stop him.

He needed to think, and he needed to think alone.

* * *

He ended up halfway down the block before he realized where he was at. Blinking, he turned around to head back when he heard sirens and stepped back away from the road to avoid confutation.

A seek white police car pulled to a stop beside him and Ezra watched as the window rolled down and a lazy face he didn't recognize blinked back at him. The man seemed bored but his eyes were alit with a certain fight, like he wanted Ezra to bolt so he could chase him down.

Ezra flashed back to the night he'd been caught and swallowed down his instinct to flee, which had been easier than expected. The longer he lived with his foster family, the less jumpy and paranoid he'd become. He no longer felt flaky and nervous as he matched gazes with the officer.

"May I help you?" Ezra asked him, bending his head so he could peak through the window.

"Perhaps," the officer nodded as he shuffled through something on the empty seat beside him before pulling out a tablet, showing it to Ezra and asked, "You even seen this man?"

The face from the news stared back at him and Ezra swallowed at the sight.

"No," he denied shaking his head, "Never."

A lie of course but he wasn't certain rather or not the officer actually believed him.

Whichever it was, the officer offered a kind smile as he thanked him for his time and rolled up the window before driving off. And Ezra just watched from his spot on the sidewalk as the vehicle pulled away, disappearing down the street.

He swallowed again, calming his nerves and hurried back to the Ghost.

Sabine was in the living room, sketching in her art book when he walked in. She glanced up, offering a kind smile as he shut the door behind himself and desperately tried to compose himself.

Losing it in front of Kanan was one thing. If he lost it in front of Sabine he didn't think he could leave his room for a week.

Someone knocked on the door and he didn't think to check who it was before opening it.

Arms immediately curled themselves around his bony shoulders, squeezing him tightly. He squeaked in protest, hearing Sabine jump from her spot on the couch to confront the newest threat, but then the threat started speaking and Ezra wiggled himself free only to gape at the face before him.

It was the face from the news. The one he knew well.

"_Tseebo?_"


	10. Chapter 10

10:

"_Tseebo?_"

Ezra couldn't keep the surprise out from his voice as he gazed up at the familiar face. Sabine shuffled behind him, still unsure about the potential threat as she prepared to attack should the man attack.

Clearly, though, clearly he wasn't going to. He didn't even look like a threat, clinging on to Ezra's shoulders like he was seconds away from collapsing. Large green eyes bored into his as they begged for understanding and forgiveness.

Ezra just didn't feel very forgiving at the moment.

"What are you doing here, Tseebo?" he demanded, voice harsh as he shoved the hands away to stare crossly at his parent's oldest friend.

"I'm confused. Mind filling me in?" Sabine suddenly spoke up, and Tseebo's eyes narrowed in on her before he rattled off something in a different language.

"_What_?" Ezra demanded, catching the man as he took a step forward and had both his legs collapse under his weight, "What are you even talking back?"

"I'll go get Hera and Kanan," Sabine suddenly decided before sprinting out of the room, leaving Ezra alone with the still babbling man.

"Tseebo," Ezra grouched, straightening him up so he could shout, "_Tseebo_! You're not making any sense? What are you doing here? Why are the police looking for you?"

"Tseebo's made a very grave mistake," Tseebo admitted, words slurred as he bent back into Ezra's face, "Please forgive me."

"Forgive you?" Ezra demanded, eyes fierce, "Tseebo, what did you do?"

"I looked into the murders of Mira and Ephraim Bridger," Tseebo explained, his legs still unsteady beneath him as he leaned back into Ezra's face, "I-"

He was interrupted when Sabine returned with Kanan, the man's eyes widening in disbelief as he rushed over. He jerked Tseebo inside practically on top of Ezra, slamming the door behind him and spinning to face them. He seemed surprised as he stared intently at Ezra's face as he helped Tseebo stand upright.

"That's the man the police are looking for. Ezra, you know him?" he demanded and Ezra ducked his gaze.

"Tseebo was a friend of my parents," he informed with a slight hitch to his voice, "I haven't seen him since my parents' were killed."

"Killed for their outcries of the local gang owning the police force," Tseebo piped in unhelpfully and Ezra's stomach turned to lead.

_So that's what the Inquisitor meant…_

Kanan, for his part, seemed surprised as his eyes widened and he repeated, "Outcries? He killed them because they _spoke_ _out_?"

"He?" Ezra demanded, unable to keep the angry shock from his voice.

Kanan knew about the gang owning the police force which meant that he had been involved, and he didn't seem like the gang type which meant…

"Kanan, were you once a part of the police force?" Ezra asked before Kanan got a chance to answer his other question and he couldn't help but notice that Sabine's suddenly grown really quiet behind him. So had Tseebo.

"Ezra, now's not really a good time," Kanan chided but Ezra disagreed.

"No Kanan," he snapped drawing back, Tseebo's arm still wrapped around his shoulders, when Kanan reached out for them, "Now would be a _great_ time."

"No. It's really not," Kanan growled impatient as he snatched Tseebo away from him and led him to sit on the couch as he asked in a soft voice, "What can you tell me about the massacre? What do you know?"

"Everything," Tseebo admitted in a lost voice, "After the murders of Mira and Ephraim Bridger I went to work for the police as a file organizer. I have made a terrible mistake. Please forgive me."

"What?" Kanan demanded, eyes going towards Ezra who just shrugged.

"How should I know? I haven't seen him in _eight_ _years_," he snapped a little harsher than he knew was necessary but he couldn't keep it out of his voice.

Seeing Tseebo again, after all these years, it was like all the budding emotions he's felt since that day was suddenly surging out of him at once. He was angry and scared and he suddenly found someone to place all the blame on. All the pain, the hurt.

"Tseebo's sorry," Tseebo suddenly begged from his spot on the couch, large eyes zeroed in on Ezra as he repeated, "Please forgive me."

Ezra glanced away, hands clenched in fists at his side, before he let a small sigh and turned back to face them. This time his gaze focused on Kanan, though, and he kept it there. Refusing to look at Tseebo after _everything_ he's been through.

"I'm going to go find Hera. She should be here," Ezra said and didn't wait for a reply before he turned to leave the room.

Kanan's voice made him pause slightly.

"We're not here to hurt you, Ezra. You've got to let your guards down."

Ezra's fingernails dug painfully into his soft flesh as he ducked his head even further before he managed out, "I'm fine," before storming off.

"Ezra," he heard Kanan call softly, voice _sounding_ sad.

"Ezra Bridger," Tseebo suddenly sprouted in a strange tone of voice Ezra didn't hear, "Born 15 years today."

And, since Ezra had his back turned from them, he also didn't see Sabine and Kanan's shared look of concern nor did he hear Sabine's small intake of breath.

"Today's Ezra's birthday."

* * *

Hera was nowhere to be found. Neither was Zeb, which was strange but Era didn't think much on it was he walked back towards the living room.

He was dreading returning, not sure how much or _what_ Tseebo's told them.

He'd been so lost in his thoughts that he missed Chopper suddenly materializing in front of him, practically tripping over the dog. He grunted, landing on his hands and knees before turning a harsh glare at the now snarling dog.

At one time Ezra would've found it in himself to be intimidated but he learned that Chopper was mostly all bark and no bite, and he was in such a foul mood he didn't have it in himself to do anything but glower angrily.

"Chopper!" he snapped, rising back up to his feet, "What do you think you're doing?!"

Chopper just continued growling, and Ezra _so_ didn't have time for this so he spun on his heels and stormed back into the living room where Kanan and Sabine were huddled around Tseebo with intent expressions. Whatever the man was telling them, it's caught both of their attention.

"What's going on?" Ezra asked, making his presence known, and tried to bite down his hurt as they barely gave him a second glance.

"Tseebo was just explaining to us how, through the police, they're shipping illegal weapons into their hands," Kanan explained offhandedly and Ezra had to swallow his steadily mounting frustrations.

"They who? Who in the world are we even talking about?" he demanded, voice raised in frustration as he threw both his hands in the air earning him an odd look from both Kanan and Sabine.

Strangely enough, it was Tseebo who spoke.

"Imperium," he explained still ducking Ezra's gaze like he knew the teen was angry with him- not a bad deduction, "The gang your parents spoke out against."

"Imperium?" Ezra blinked, hearing the word only once and not in the context they were currently using it in, "Isn't that Latin for-"

"Empire."

That was definitely Sabine, voice sounding as far as her eyes as she gazed at the floor with a look of despair and pain. Whoever this gang was, they had seriously hurt people in the past. Were still hurting people now. Then a thought occurred to him.

"Is the Inquisitor and Kallus both part of them? This Imperium?" the word tasted foreign and foul to him as he spat it out and gazed at Kanan for an explanation.

Kanan nodded slowly, thoughtful, as he explained, "Yes, although not always. I knew the Inquisitor back when he was still known as Martin Stein. We worked together, on the police force, but that was before he betrayed all of us."

There was definite hurt in his voice as he forced the words out, and Ezra felt bad for pushing so hard. He should've known these people had as many dark secrets as he did, and he certainly wasn't one for sharing, yet he practically begged for _them_ to tell him everything.

"I-" he went to apologize but Kanan's sharp look silenced him.

"No," the man interrupted, gaze fiercer than Ezra's ever seen before, "I think it's about time you and Sabine knew. Zeb does."

He glanced away, seemingly embarrassed as Sabine gawked up at him. Clearly she didn't appreciate being left in the dark; Ezra was just glad he wasn't the only one these people were seemingly keeping secrets from.

"I met Hera after the massacre of my police force. Stein- the Inquisitor- was arrested but they didn't have any proof or evidence so was forced to release him. I- and a few others- had already fled, though, moving states and identities and lives and mine wasn't exactly the… best.

"I went to every bar I could find, wasting what little money I had for a momentarily buzz. A lapse in reality to where I could _pretend_ that none of it was real. That all of it never even happened and I was just some drunk nobody whom no one knew the name of, and I wasn't wrong on that account. No one knew my name, not even the bartender, and I lived like that for a long time."

"What happened?" Ezra asked, intrigued by the story.

There was no way Kanan- the one he knew and held a high regard for- could ever be the man in the story, yet there was nothing but truth in Kanan's eyes, in his voice.

"Hera found me," Kanan admitted with a slow outtake of breath, "She found me, and we talked for a long time. At first we talked about nothing, silly stuff, but then the conversations steadily grew more serious and then we breached the topic of Imperium.

"She was angry at them, for taking her father away. We don't know if he's dead or not- we think he is but the Inquisitor told Ezra he wasn't so I'm not entirely sure. He's just gone, and she was angry and asked for my help. Help thwarting Imperium for everything we've done. I agreed and several years later we heard of Zeb's family massacre and took him in once we discovered he had survived, traumatized and broken."

"That's why you became a foster family," Sabine connected with a strange spark in her eyes, "because of Zeb."

"Because of people _like_ Zeb," Kanan clarified, "and then you but with Ezra neither one of us knew who his parents were nor his situation. By then, we only felt it was right to take in a kid who's spent most of his time on the streets. That's why we didn't tell him."

"Then why didn't you tell me?" Sabine snapped angrily, eyes flaring.

"You just seemed so young and, by that time, I've started to see us all as a family. I never got the chance of a family before and what we- me and Hera- did was dangerous," Kanan explained wearily.

"What do you and Hera do?" Ezra asked then, eyes going to stare curiously up Kanan.

"Sort of the same thing your parents did," Kanan explained with a slight shrug, "We speak out. Imperium hurt so many people, and we're able to fight back by speaking out."

"_That's_ what my parents did?" Ezra demanded incredulously, blue eyes wide in shock as he continued to gawk up at Kanan.

"I- err- yes," Kanan nodded realizing he must have made a mistake in telling Ezra that because the youth suddenly felt physically ill.

"Ezra?" Sabine asked worriedly, seemingly taking the news better than he had, "You alright?"

She reached out to him worriedly, but he ignored her. He just continued to gaze up at Kanan with wide dazed eyes like the world was finally starting to make sense to him. After all these years, it was making sense: the reason anybody would want to hurt his parents.

"Oh God," he groaned weakly, hand to his mouth as the pieces finally clicked in place.

His parents were _killed_ speaking out against Imperium.

Murdered.

In cold blood.

_On_ _his_ _birthday_.

How was that fair? How was any of it fair?

And suddenly he was no longer 15 and standing in Hera's living room. Instead he was younger, curled under the covers and listening to a conversation he wasn't supposed to. Not while he was supposed to be sleeping.

_"I beg of you, do not continue with this,"_ Tseebo begged from downstairs in their living room, his voice distraught and pleading.

_"We both know that we can't agree to that. Not when we all know that what we're doing is right,"_ his dad countered with the voice he used whenever he was about to argue with someone.

_"And we're helping so many people. Just try and think of what would happen if we were to stop. A lot of people would suffer,"_ his mom added, unhelpful and as equally as stubborn as his dad- it was one of the traits Ezra's always sort of admired from them; now it made him feel sick.

_"But at what price? At what danger are you putting yourself in on a daily basis by continuing with this?"_ Tseebo demanded, relentless.

_"Just breathing in today's economy puts us at risk. No, we can't run and hide like cowards. Not when no one else will do what we're doing- speak out against the lies they're feeding us. The truth is going to set a bunch of people free."_

_"Try to think of your son."_

_"He's all we think about. That's why we have to do this. So he can live in a better world without fear or pain or misery,"_ his dad snapped, sounding angry, and Ezra remembered curling up tighter underneath his covers; it had always made him uneasy whenever people spoke to him like he wasn't in the room.

He supposed he hadn't been, which was probably worst. Being talked about behind your back.

_"What if something were to happen to you? Then what? He's too young to be living on the streets alone."_

_"And he won't have too. We'll make sure of it and we wish that you could see that what we do- what we're doing- is right."_

_"I will not fight a battle I know cannot be won,"_ Tseebo finally relented and Ezra felt another jolt of anger.

"You knew?" he demanded, narrowing a furious gaze towards his parents' friend, "You knew and didn't stop them?"

"I'm sorry," Tseebo apologized, tucking further in himself as he begged, "Please forgive me."

Ezra didn't want to forgive and if it hadn't been for Kanan snapping out his name he probably would've told the man just that. Instead he snapped his attention back towards Kanan with a slight grimace.

"Kanan, he knew what my parents were doing, and he didn't stop them," Ezra said, voice pleading for the man to understand.

Kanan just sighed sadly as he murmured, "Ezra, some people won't be stopped no matter who asks them to. Not when they know that they've done so much good in the world."

Ezra had a sneaking feeling they were no longer talking about his parents.

"Kanan-"

Chopper started growling, shocking Ezra because he hadn't even noticed the dog had followed him inside the room. Yet, there he was, standing next to Ezra's leg crouched down and hackles raised as he emitted a soft throaty growl.

Kanan looked surprised as he asked, "What's gotten into him?"

Tseebo just seemed to fly into panic, though, eyes widening as he launched himself off the couch and latched onto the front of Kanan's shirt with a desperation Ezra's never seen in anybody before. Much less Tseebo.

"Please, please, forgive Tseebo," he pleaded and it was odd for him to be begging forgiveness from someone that wasn't Ezra.

"Forgive you? Forgive you for what?" Kanan asked, equally as shocked and something icy and cold settled in Ezra's stomach.

Something wasn't right.

Something was very, very wrong, and Tseebo was still blubbering weakly for penance and something felt off.

Ezra's eyes widened when he recognized the feeling.

It was the same one he had when he walked in on his parents' murdered, and the same one he got again when his other foster father stumbled home drunk the night he shoved Ezra down the stairs. It was what he felt in the hospital when he had been reprimanded for being a brat and standing so close to the stairs.

Over and over again, he's felt the same mind numbing cold he did now.

The feeling he got whenever something terrible was about to happen.

"KANAN!" he screamed, but it was already too late.

Kanan turned towards him, eyes wide and mouth slightly open, as a bullet shot through the end, shattering glass. Sabine screamed, Ezra vaguely hearing it through the sudden ringing in his ears as he fell towards the ground.

Another gunshot.

Another bullet.

Someone was screaming, though Ezra couldn't make out who or where they were coming from. He could just make out screaming, and he glanced up from his spot sprawled on his stomach pressed against the floor.

Sabine was crouched by the stairs, eyes wide and face pale but seemingly uninjured. She hadn't been hit by any stray bullets, which was good. What was _not_ good, however, was the fact that both Kanan and Tseebo had disappeared from beside the couch.

Something really wasn't right.

Ezra went to climb to his feet when a hand clamped over his shoulder as he was jerked around, staring wide-eyed at the person crouched down inches away from him.

"Kanan?" he demanded, feeling panicked as the man gazed at him from behind slightly freaked blue-green eyes, "Kanan, what's happening?"

He never got an answer.

The other window was shattered in a barrage of bullets.


	11. Chapter 11

11:

Sabine was definitely screaming now, the sound making Ezra's heart freeze over. He could tell Kanan felt the same from the sudden distraught look that crossed through his eyes. The hand gripping his arm tightened and only when Ezra hissed in pain did Kanan release him.

"Ezra, go out through the door in the kitchen," the man commanded suddenly, voice sharp as he rose to rush over to Sabine, who had crawled up most the stairs in her panic, "NOW!"

Ezra didn't move, just watched with big blue eyes as Kanan rose to a crouch and rushed over to Sabine on the stairs. He bent over her, speaking in a voice too low for Ezra to hear, when more gunshots rained down on them and the sudden jolt of panic got Ezra's frozen muscles moving.

He rose to his feet, turning to make his way to the kitchen when he remembered Tseebo and silently cursed himself as he spun around to make his way to the other side of the couch.

He found Tseebo curled up in a tight ball, hands pressed tightly over his chest, as he murmured things in a language Ezra didn't recognize. A pang of sympathy surprised Ezra as he knelt down next to the man, hand gently reaching out to touch his shoulder.

"Tseebo," he whispered in a rushed voice, "Tseebo, it's me. Ezra Bridger."

Tseebo glanced up, eyes reflecting panic as he reached out to cling desperately to Ezra's shirt.

"Whoa. Okay," Ezra gasped in surprise as the sudden weight sent him crashing on his back against the ground, "Yeah. It's me. Come on. We've got to go."

He rose to his feet, pulling Tseebo up with him.

Kanan and Sabine were no longer on the stairs so he figured that they got out. Now it was their turn. Still holding Tseebo in a tight grip, he started to move towards their exit.

He made it all the way to the kitchen before he heard the door splint as it was forced open, followed by several heavy footfalls and it was like the world slowed down considerably.

A hand jerked Tseebo away, causing him to stumble, before another hand wrapped around his neck. He was forced back, feet stumbling for foothold beneath him, before being tossed across the room. He hit the side of the couch and crumpled, black spots swimming across his vision.

"NO!" he heard Tseebo shout but it sounded distant, "Leave him be! He has nothing to do with this!"

"Oh, but I think he does," and the familiar sound sent panic down Ezra's spine as he blinked the sneering face of Kallus into focus, "Isn't that right? Son of Mira and Ephraim Bridger?"

"What do you want with Tseebo?" Ezra demanded instead, sitting upright and ignoring the dizziness threatening to send him crashing back against the ground.

"I was sent to gather him," Kallus explained eyes shifting over to where Tseebo was being held by someone Ezra's never seen before, "as for you."

A gun ended up in his face and Ezra swore his heart froze at the sight. Behind Kallus, Tseebo was struggling in the person's holding him grasp.

"No!" Tseebo screamed again, "Please, don't! I'll do whatever you want! Just don't hurt him! I'm begging you!"

"You think you have the right to beg?" Kallus demanded in a tone equal parts cold and harsh as he turned a sharp glare towards the man, "You brought this upon the boy yourself."

Ezra blinked, realizing that Kallus was distracted. The finger on the trigger was limp, and that was what Ezra narrowed in on as he leapt forward shoving the gun to the side. In his surprise, Kallus dropped the weapon as Ezra crashed into him sending both careening to the ground.

"I'll make you pay for that, brat!" Kallus screamed, grabbing onto Ezra tight enough to bruise as he flipped the youth over on his back.

He maneuvered his body to straddle Ezra's hips, both his hands closing around the youth's throat squeezing tightly. Crushing. Ezra heard himself choke, numb and weak fingers reaching out to try to pry the angry fingers off and away.

Tseebo was still screaming, sounding desperate, and Ezra's eyes rolled back to see the man's face had morphed into one of panic and desperation. Kallus jerked against his neck again, forcing their eyes to meet as the man practically sneered down at him.

"Don't fret," he snarled, voice cold, "You're going to see your parents again real soon."

The grip tightened.

Ezra choked, arching his back, as his arms fell at his sides useless.

Blackness started to eat away the edges of his vision.

"_EZRA!_"

The hands disappeared, oxygen filling Ezra's lungs as he rolled over to his side coughing and hacking. Above him, Kanan's concerned face was speaking, but the words were lost to him. Another voice, this one feminine, and realization suddenly struck Ezra.

They'd came back for him and Tseebo. Kanan and Sabine.

The thought sent a surprisingly warm sensation through Ezra as he brushed away concerned hands, sitting upright. His vision swam but Kallus was already recovering as was the guy Sabine must have sent sprawling to the ground, Tseebo now clinging to her arm like a bad accessory.

"You came back," Ezra gasped in relief as he struggled to his feet, Kanan's hand reaching out to help support him.

"Of course we did," Kanan replied like it was obvious, "Now hurry up."

He followed- _stumbled_\- after Kanan through the kitchen and out the back; Sabine and Tseebo close behind. And, not for the first time, Ezra was amazed by the strength Sabine held. She didn't even looked fazed as she drug Tseebo after her. A little worried, perhaps, but no longer scared.

She'd already been caught off guard once, now nothing else will.

He was broken from his thoughts by Kanan slowing to a stop, large hand still latched tightly against Ezra's shoulder.

"We need to move quickly now," he explained, "and smart. By now someone's probably already called the police which can provide some… complications."

Nobody bothered arguing as the man motioned for them through the shadowed protection of the backs of all the houses. It made sense, once Ezra's oxygen deprived brain was finally able to catch up to their situation decided, to remain in the shadows. What was the old saying: out of sight, out of mind?

They made it all the way to the end of the neighborhood, by then police alarms already blaring through the otherwise peaceful air. A closing sensation of panic started to envelop Ezra as all his adrenaline and fear caught up to him, sending him nearly crashing to his knees; the only thing keeping him upright being his strong will and determination to not look like a wimp in from of these people.

Tseebo wasn't so determined.

He collapsed to his knees, dropping away from Sabine's gasp to choke on his breathing and tears. He burrowed his face in both his hands as he finally broke down.

"Please forgive Tseebo for leading those men straight to Ezra Bridger," he pleaded and Ezra could only stare in shock as Tseebo gazed up at him and whimpered, "Please, please, please. I did not think that they would try _hurting_ him."

Ezra's neck flared in pain, reminding him of how close it had come, before Kanan knelt in front of the sobbing man.

"Hey," he soothed in a voice that Ezra had become accustomed to draw strength and comfort from, "It's alright. We'll play the blame game later, but right now we need to get you out of here."

"I texted Zeb," Sabine offered, speaking up for the first time since the attack, "Him and Hera went out to run some errands. They're on their way to the school, just like how you and Hera talked about."

"What about Chopper?" Ezra asked, remembering the dog that had been in the living room with them once the shooting started.

"He must have bolted as soon as the bullets started," Sabine analyzed, "He probably went to find Hera."

Kanan nodded in approval, helping Tseebo to his feet. Tseebo instantly stumbled, Ezra catching him as he nearly collapsed on top of him still begging for forgiveness.

"You really screwed up, didn't you?" Ezra snapped before he could stop himself; Tseebo flinching away and both Kanan and Sabine shooting him disappointed glances from behind Tseebo.

Ezra ducked his face, burning in embarrassment and shame.

He hadn't meant to sound so callus. He just had a sore neck and felt weightless as his adrenaline wore off into shock. If they didn't start moving again then he'd become as useless as Tseebo currently was.

"Come on," Ezra grunted wrapping one of Tseebo's arms around his neck as he turned towards the direction that would take them to the school, "Let's go before they catch up to us."

Ezra sometimes could still feel the pain of the bullet that grazed him once, whenever he was running away from Kallus's goons with Zeb. He wasn't fond of the idea of getting shot for real any time soon.

Sabine and Kanan followed quietly, Kanan quickly taking the lead as they weaved through the shadows of the quiet houses. Ezra almost envied them, ignorant and oblivious to the situation happening.

They made it all the way to school to find an empty parking lot.

"I don't understand," Sabine gasped spinning around, despair coloring her voice as she glanced around frantically, "He said that they would be here."

As if on cue, Kanan's phone buzzed and Ezra felt a slight _jolt_ as his heart had to restart itself.

"Hera?" he demanded instantly, phone at his ear as he spun his back to them, "You better have a good explanation for this. … What? … Alright, stop yelling at me. I got you. … No, stay where you're at. We'll figure something out. … Yes I'm sure. … Uh huh. Bye."

He clipped the device shut and turned to Ezra and Sabine's expectant stares with a slight sigh as he explained, "They couldn't make it here. The streets are crawling with Imperium. We're on our own."

"I think I might know a place we can hole up," Ezra spoke up after a pregnant pause, choosing to ignore the helpless despair in Kanan's voice and eyes.

"You sure kid?" Sabine asked and Ezra nodded, mind already clicking into gear as he tried mapping out a quick and safe route.

"Yeah. Come on," Ezra grunted, adjusting the dead weight that was Tseebo from around his shoulders before leading them through even more turns and curves, cautious to remain unseen; Hera hadn't been exaggerating when she told them that the streets were practically flooded with Imperium.

Tseebo passed out several blocks before they reached their destination, the sudden deadweight sending both of them on the ground.

"Tseebo," he grunted as he wrestled himself free.

Kanan swooped down and plucked Tseebo off from the ground, freeing Ezra so that he felt like he could breathe again. Straightening back up to his feet, they sprinted the last couple of blocks before they arrived at an old house abandoned and overgrown.

Sabine wrinkled her nose at the sight, bright eyes taking it in cautiously.

"What is this place?" she asked as Ezra hurried over to the door, prying it open; Ezra didn't bother replying, Kanan putting the pieces together for him.

"This was your home, where you grew up," he said that made it sound like both an affirmation and a question.

Ezra just grunted, the old locking finally giving away and he was able to shove the door fully open before he turned back around and snapped, "I grew up on the streets. _Alone_."

And that was his whole problem, wasn't it?

He's spent so much time alone that it was odd being around people all the time. People who cared for him and worried for him; it seemed he was still struggling to come in terms with that- constantly being attacked not helping.

He stepped inside the musky smelling house, instantly flooded by memories- both good and bad. He shook them away, turning so he could help Kanan maneuver Tseebo in the house; Sabine followed from behind, shutting the door behind her sealing them in darkness.

Finally allowing exhaustion overcome him, Ezra plopped down beside Tseebo's lax form. He hung his hands between his legs, hands quivering slightly as he forced the shock back. His neck ached and tears burned somewhere behind his eyes as he focused on calming his frayed nerves and pounding heart.

"Ezra?"

He glanced up to see Kanan staring at him with a strange look and slight frown as the man asked, "You alright?"

"I'm fine," Ezra reassured instantly, the statement feeling bitter and like a lie.

Kanan moved over to sit beside him, reached out to get a better look at the youth's neck as he whispered, "Does it hurt?"

"No," and that was an obvious lie.

He jerked his head free, focusing back on his hands dangling from his knees as he pushed back the terror he felt while Kallus was strangling him. Killing him.

And he'd been _so_ close.

Beside his leg, Tseebo groaned before bolting upright eyes wide with terror. He started screaming, the sound piercing Ezra's eardrums and making him flinch back in discomfort as Kanan rushed to clamp a hand over the man's mouth.

"Hey! Calm down!" he demanded, voice stern as he jerked Tseebo near his chest to silence him, "You're okay. You're with us. We're not going to hurt you."

Tseebo blinked terror filled eyes as his gaze roamed over Kanan then Sabine before landing on Ezra and he jerked himself free to claw at Ezra's arm as he pleaded, "Please, forgive Tseebo for I have made a grave mistake."

"Yeah," Kanan agreed, jerking him away from Ezra and narrowing a harsh stare at him, "You need to exaggerate on that one. What did you do?"

"I looked into the files of the Bridger case," Tseebo explained in a shaking voice, "that was the whole reason I got a job here as a file organizer. I needed to get close so I could just _know_, but they don't want people to know," he gasped, eyes widening in a horror only he could see as he panted, "It's terrible. What they did. What they have done. What they're going to do."

"No kidding," Ezra snapped, breaking Tseebo's concentration back to him, "They killed my parents and you _abandoned_ them."

_Abandoned me, _Ezra would've liked to add but didn't.

"Ezra," Kanan sighed in a way that sounded like disappointment and Ezra never expected for _that_ to _hurt_ as much as it did, "Don't interrupt."

But Tseebo was gazing at him with wide sad eyes as he gasped, "No, he's right. I made a grave mistake hiding like I did. Tseebo's a coward, and I tried to make up for it by finding more about your parents but-"

"I already know what happened to my parents," Ezra snapped, tone harsh as his glare focused on Tseebo's wide gaze as he finished, "They're _dead_."

This time it was Sabine who gasped in horror, hands folding over her mouth as she gazed at him with a wide-eyed expression. He felt a twinge of pain from within his chest, and he ducked his gaze back down. Tseebo just swallowed, still trying to claw himself over to him as he begged for understanding.

Ezra didn't _want_ to understand, though.

He wanted to wallow in self-pity and the pain from his past. He didn't want to currently be hiding because some crazy person was trying to kidnap Tseebo and kill them. Kill everyone Ezra's grown fond of.

"Ezra, remember what I said about letting your guards down?" Kanan asked him suddenly, and he lifted his gaze back up to focus on the people before him.

"I said I'm fine," he snapped and swallowed back his guilt.

It wasn't Kanan's fault but, then again, it wasn't Ezra's either. In fact, if anyone was to blame it was Tseebo.

So why didn't that thought make Ezra feel any better?

"Tseebo, why are you here? After all these years?" he finally demanded and all eyes were drawn to the man in curiosity.

Tseebo swallowed as his face screwed up into an expression of pain as he murmured, "I've come to ask for young Ezra's forgiveness."

"You want me to forgive you?" Ezra snapped, leaping to his feet, but was interrupted by the sound of police sirens ringing outside.

He ducked his head, falling back on the ground as Kanan gazed at the direction in despair. Hopelessness started to envelop Ezra as he awaited for Kanan to get them out from their current mess.

"I don't understand?" Sabine asked from where she sat crouched several feet from Ezra, "How did they find us?"

"Ezra, is there an alternate exit to this place?" Kanan demanded, eyes focusing on Ezra.

He racked his brain, trying to remember, when he muttered, "There's a way to the roof, but they'll just follow us up there."

"No they won't," Kanan growled as he turned towards Sabine and said, "Take Tseebo and Ezra and go up to the roof and stay there until you're absolutely certain that they're gone."

"What? Kanan, no," Ezra snapped as Sabine continued to stare at Kanan like he was mental, "What about you?"

"I'll draw them out away from you three," Kanan explained, rising to his feet and Ezra couldn't stop himself from bolting upright to cling onto Kanan's arm already shaking his head.

"Kanan. No," and he sounded as lost as he felt.

"Ezra," but then the door exploded and Ezra screamed, falling back against the couch as his frantic brain informed him that both Sabine and Tseebo were no longer in the room.

"Inquisitor," Kanan's brave voice spoke, drawing Ezra's attention to his own situation.

The Inquisitor was currently standing in the doorway, gun drawn and eyes burning with victory. Ezra felt something in his chest start to throb as he felt panic overwhelm him.

"Well, what do we have here?" the Inquisitor mocked, "A coward and his orphan brat. So sad, how they'll die together."

"You want us?" Kanan demanded, voice fierce, "come and get us."

Ezra's head swooned as he struggled up onto his elbows, watching frozen in shock as Kanan lunged towards the Inquisitor, knocked away easily. He stumbled before lunging again and this time he managed to knock the gun from the Inquisitor's hand before he was knocked back against the coffee table Ezra was crouched beside.

It shattered, Kanan's head lolling limply to the side.

The next couple of seconds happened as if blurred, the next thing Ezra being aware of he had picked up the stray gun from the floor and pointed it towards the Inquisitor.

"I won't let you hurt him!" he exclaimed, panic coloring his voice an odd color.

"Please," the Inquisitor snorted unimpressed and he struck Ezra's hand, the gun clattering to the ground now useless.

"Foolish boy," the Inquisitor marked stepping towards him; Ezra stumbled back listening to the taunts from the other man, "Convinced you can make a difference. In actuality, your friends will die."

"No," Ezra protested, shaking his head in denial.

"He shall die," and the Inquisitor gestured towards Kanan's still limp form behind them as he continued to advance.

"No," and this time he choked on word, feeling it stick to the back of his throat as panic enveloped him from the inside out.

A wall struck his back, forcing him to stop in his place. Helpless to gaze up at the approaching madman, grin spreading across pale features like a twisted form of a Cheshire smile.

"That is how your story ends."

And Ezra felt lots of things suddenly at once.

Panic.

Horror.

_Anger_.

"_NO_!"

The last thing he remembered before the world exploded was the Inquisitor's smile as he finally stopped in front of him, gun directed at his chest.


	12. Chapter 12

12:

Kanan came to with a headache, seconds before the world erupted in bright orange and red.

He blinked, taking in the foreign room before realization dawned and he twisted to see Ezra pressed against the wall, bright blue eyes widened in fear and something else- something Kanan couldn't identify. In front of him, the Inquisitor stood with a gun pressed against his chest and something cold and icy shot through Kanan.

He let the Inquisitor kill his family once, he wasn't fond of letting him do it again- especially not with Ezra, whose life had already been bad enough without being roped into the evil that lurked in Kanan's own.

"Ezra, no," he grunted moving to stand but was cut off when the windows suddenly imploded as his vision blurred to white.

He ducked his head, sheltering it with his hands laced together, and once the shock of the blast passed he rose his gaze back up to see the Inquisitor already recovering. The man rose to his feet, eyes narrowing on the outside as he rushed towards it screaming.

Ezra laid in a crumpled heap on the ground.

Rising quickly to his feet, Kanan rushed over to the youth, taking him in shaking hands. Ezra was limp and pale, dark hair covering childish features Kanan's come familiar with.

It was strange at first, he knew, when the kid ended up on their doorstep but the service worker that brought him was a friend of Hera's and someone she trusts, which meant Ezra's past was worse than the average foster child and something the service worker believed could only be handled with them; something Kanan's spent long nights arguing with Hera about.

They didn't need any more kids, especially not ones as distant as Ezra, the pain of years of hardships sketched into the kid's bright gaze.

Yet the longer Kanan's spent with the kid the more he's grown fond of him. He was different than Zeb and Sabine- both whom Kanan cares deeply about and Kanan knew he would be heartbroken should anything happen to the two of them.

Ezra was different, though, and he couldn't help but to start seeing himself in Ezra's blue eyes and he _yearned_ to see the kid smile brightly, happily yet the world seemed to have opposing plans, hurting the kid every chance it got.

"Ezra," he whispered reaching out to pat the kid's cheeks lightly as he begged for Ezra to open his eyes and just _look_ at him, "Ezra."

And, by some miracle, the kid did.

Blue eyes fluttered open, slightly distant but that was to be expected considering he was emerging from unconsciousness. Then they focused as the kid recognized him and, to Kanan's surprise, they didn't change to the guarded look Ezra wore whenever he was around.

"Kanan, what happened? I feel so cold," Ezra admitted, voice raw with emotion as he curled up closer against Kanan.

Kanan blinked in shock for a split second before he swallowed and nodded.

"I know," he reassured, aware of the Inquisitor still yelling at people outside, "It's okay. We're leaving."

He hefted Ezra over his shoulder, running towards the direction Sabine must have taken Tseebo as he tried to ignore how limp Ezra was in his grasp- limp and lighter than expected.

He awkwardly rushed up the stairwell connecting to the roof only to find it disturbingly empty. His heart turned to ice as he swept his frantic gaze for Sabine and Tseebo.

"Kanan," Sabine's relieved voice sounded from behind him and he spun to see her emerge from the shadows before she froze, eyes focusing on Ezra and she asked in a frightened voice, "What happened? Is he alright?"

"Ezra's fine," Kanan reassured allowing Ezra to slip from his shoulder, slumping him against the vent Sabine and Tseebo had been hiding behind.

Ezra blinked unfocused eyes at him and Kanan offered a supportive smile, placing both hands on either side of the child's face, before he rose to his feet to take stock in the situation. Sabine's eyes were wide and panicked but she seemed otherwise unharmed. Tseebo and Ezra, on the other hand, were not so lucky.

Ezra, Kanan understood, but Tseebo…

He bent over to grasp the still cowering man's shoulder as he growled in a voice harsher than he had been using, "What do they want with you?"

"Tseebo saw things they didn't want anyone to see," the man admitted in a voice as distant as Ezra's gaze as his head dropped to the side to gaze wide-eyed at Ezra's small frame, "Will he be alright?"

Kanan followed his gaze, landing on the still barely conscious Ezra as he would occasionally blink sluggish eyes. Sabine sat, crouched down beside him, eyes bright with concern.

Sabine, Kanan knew, had been an only child before they took her in where she friended Zeb almost instantly. They seemed to become a perfect pair- Zeb older and protective while Sabine was younger and more mature than was warranted for her age, which made sense considering she had suffered much the same way Kanan had.

Soon they grew away from their dependency of each other, but it never escaped Kanan's gaze that they would go to each other when they needed something. Kanan never bothered saying anything. He had Hera and Sabine had Zeb, which was fine because despite caring for everyone equally they all needed someone to confide in.

Then Ezra showed up and everything changed.

It was like people couldn't help liking him, even Zeb and Chopper who spent much of the beginning making the kid's life miserable. Then, slowly, they all started to change. They seemed to branch out, Sabine seeking refuge from Hera more while Kanan's found himself listening to Zeb's concerns more.

He couldn't describe it if he tried, but something about Ezra had changed their otherwise normal outtake of life and because of it they seemed to bind closer than Kanan could ever hope. They became _closer_ than a family- if that was even possible.

And Sabine, Kanan noticed, had taken a liking to sheltering Ezra. He suspected it had something to do with Ezra's aloof outer appearance but bleeding heart inside. She, like him, _knew_ Ezra was hurt more than anyone should be in the past and was determined to end it.

There were just somethings they couldn't protect him from.

Like an exploding house.

The roof under his feet shook as another explosion rocked the house, drawing him from his thoughts. Kanan blinked, releasing his tight grip against Tseebo's shoulders but the man didn't seem to mind. His eyes were drawn to Ezra, Sabine speaking to him in a soft voice.

"We need to get off this roof," Kanan spoke rising to search for a way, "it's too far to jump."

"There's a ladder," Ezra spoke shuffling from his spot as he seemed to come back into awareness, going to rise to his feet; Sabine hovered nearby, hands ready to catch him should he fall.

Kanan hid a smirk, recognizing Sabine's need to fill the role as Ezra's overprotective sister despite only being a year older. He felt it too, the need to protect Ezra from their current situation.

He needed to focus on ensuring they all got out of it safely, which was why he allowed Ezra to brush past him to show the ladder.

"Alright," he spoke staring down at it, "Who's first?"

Ezra smirked as he started down the ladder; Sabine already rising to protest but Kanan stopped her. Ezra will always be independent and constantly sheltering him won't help anything. He just needed to know that people loved him, and they did. He did more so than he ever thought was possible, even taking him to play baseball despite not playing since Stein's betrayal.

Kanan internally frowned.

Perhaps Hera was right, and he needed Ezra as much as the kid needed him.

* * *

They went back to the school; this time Hera and Zeb waiting for them.

Hera frowned at the sight of Tseebo but Ezra was too tired to offer any kind of introductions. He just slipped in after the man, trying in vain not to _touch_ him.

Zeb and Sabine instantly broke into hushed whispers as the girl offered an explanation of the night's events and when Hera turned on a familiar road Kanan spoke for the first time since the roof.

"Why are we going back to the house?" he demanded, knuckles white, "That's where they _attacked_ us, remember?"

"I called in a few favors," Hera reassured, "Out of state favors. It's fine."

That sounded cryptic but Ezra's brain was too foggy to linger on it as he fought sleep. Beside him, Tseebo was staring blank eyes out the window and he knew he shouldn't but also knew it would probably be the last time he had a chance to speak to the man.

He bumped his shoulder, gaining Tseebo's attention as he asked, "Why did you return Tseebo? After all these years?"

"I needed to tell Ezra about his parents," Tseebo explained before ducking his expression and adding in an ashamed tone, "and to tell you that I am sorry."

"Sorry for not stopping my parents or for abandoning me on the streets?" Ezra demanded, voice low and eyes narrowed dangerously.

Tseebo's eyes flashed in pain as he shook his head and argued, "I did try to stop your parents. They would just not listen, no matter how hard I tried, and you were already gone when I heard what had happened."

Something cold pooled inside Ezra at the words.

_You were already gone when I heard what had happened._

Which meant that Tseebo hadn't abandoned him. He'd gone to get him but the state had already shipped him off, spinning some sob story on how he was alone in the world and that the man who shoved him down the stairs was the only thing he'd get as a family.

At the time he thought the world was just a cruel place filled with heartless people.

Now he knew the world held cruel people but not everyone was like that, and that he had been wrong about virtually everything.

Tseebo wasn't at fault; he had just been an excuse Ezra told himself to make him feel better. A face to his misery.

"Ezra?" Tseebo asked and Ezra was aware of the car suddenly growing very silent; no one was looking at them directly but it was obvious they were listening to how he replied.

That was fine, he decided, let them listen.

"Tseebo, I forgive you," he said after a long pause earnest eyes gazing up at his parents' friend- the closest thing he had to an uncle.

Tseebo blinked in shock, obviously not expecting for him to apologize after all the grief he'd given him that night. That was fine, Ezra wasn't in the mood for any more talking.

He turned his gaze out the window, and several minutes later they arrived back to the house he was starting to see as home.

_This is different_, he pondered at the relieved feeling of seeing the house, _opening up, letting people in. Nothing like living on the streets._

That was fine, he knew, he didn't mind.

He kind of liked it.

* * *

They were supposed to go to bed but Ezra couldn't find sleep. Neither could Zeb, if the man's breathing was any indication.

"Hey Zeb?" Ezra whispered in the darkness, eyes tracing patterns of the shadows on the ceiling, "Do you hate me?"

He had no idea why he asked it. He was tired and worn and the panic he felt when the Inquisitor told him everyone was going to die still lingered.

"What?" Zeb demanded, voice harsh as his mattress creaked under his weight, "Of course not. What could have caused you to ask?"

Ezra smirked up at the ceiling, reaching his hands up towards them as a giggle escaped his throat. He couldn't remember the last time he giggled, yet here he was giggling softly in the dark like an idiot.

"No reason," he admitted and heard Zeb grunt as he rolled back over, mumbling about idiotic roommates but there was a hint of fondness in his tone.

Ezra smirked in the darkness.

It seemed that he wasn't the only one who was letting their walls fall.

* * *

The next day was strange, both Hera and Tseebo having disappeared by the time Ezra made his way down the stairs. Zeb was still snoring when he woke up having fallen asleep after Ezra drifted off, so Ezra quietly crept out of the room.

"Good morning," Kanan offered with a smile and Ezra vaguely recalled Kanan smiling at him after the explosion knocked his world into darkness.

"Moring," Ezra sighed, surprised at the ease he felt when he took a seat beside the man focusing on the baseball game Kanan was watching.

"You must really love baseball," Ezra noted and Kanan smiled a sad smile as he dipped his head in a nod.

"I did," Kanan agreed, "Until the Inquisitor took everything I've ever cared for away from me."

"Huh," Ezra muttered before asking smugly, "and this sudden return of your love for baseball?"

"Something's changed," Kanan explained patiently, "Hera pointed it out to me, once, but I didn't bother to listen. Now I know."

"Really?" Ezra asked and Kanan nodded so he shrugged and offered, "I'm happy for you, and I hope whatever's changed doesn't change back."

"Yeah," Kanan agreed as he lightly tapped Ezra's head, "Me too."

The front door opened and Hera strolled in, Chopper at her heels. Ezra grinned upon seeing the dog, everything the day before happening so quickly he didn't get long to ponder where he had went.

"I see Chopper found his way home safely," Kanan observed as he rose from his seat to embrace Hera.

She hummed, green eyes turning to Ezra as she pulled back and explained, "I took Tseebo somewhere he would be safe. I figured you would've wanted that."

Ezra recalled his conversation with the man the night before and he scratched his head as he nodded, "Thanks and I do appreciate it. Everything you both have done for me. You didn't have to take me in but you did."

"Of course," Hera reassured lightly as she moved to set a hand against his cheek, "You're one of us, Ezra Bridger."

Ezra grinned but bother telling her how happy the words made him.

After all these years, he finally found a place where he felt like he belonged. He found a home and a family worth protecting- and he was going to protect them.

He might've been too young to protect his parents, but he wasn't now and he refused to let them go, even a little.

They were his family, and he was determined to keep it that way.

* * *

That Monday was torture, the second he stepping inside the school the realization becoming obvious.

He waved goodbye at Sabine, who seemed oblivious, and sought out Zare. Normally he'd find Kai so they could joke like friends did but he knew he needed to speak with Zare.

He found him in the bathroom, on his phone, and Ezra approached with silent footfalls.

"Hey man," he greeted awkwardly, "I think we need to talk."

Zare frowned but offered no resistance so Ezra slowly told him everything he knew about the Inquisitor- Martin Stein- and watched with wary eyes as the boy's face slowly hardened into an unreadable mask. When he finished, they just sat in silence.

"You've dealt with all of this on your own?" Zare finally spoke after a long pause.

Ezra just nodded, watching as Zare let out a weary sigh as he buried his face in his hands.

"That's messed up, man," he admitted in a low voice, "I can't believe my sister, or you, were involved in a maniac like that. Now I know why she told me to be careful."

"Yeah," Ezra agreed awkwardly scratching the back of his head as he motioned for Zare to follow him, "and you shouldn't try figuring all this out on your own either. He's dangerous and I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Thanks, man," Zare grinned with a flash of brilliant teeth as they left the bathroom, "and I appreciate it. I really do, but this is something I've got to deal on my own. Ya know?"

Ezra eyed him cautiously, frown dancing across his features, as he sighed and said, "I guess. Just know that if you ever need anything-"

"Hey street trash!" a new unfamiliar voice shouted, interrupting Ezra.

Both boys turned to see a tall blond boy stroll over towards them. Beside him, Zare stiffened and Ezra couldn't help but wonder who the jerk was talking to.

He was answered when the blond boy shoved his shoulder, knocking him back several feet, as blue eyes glinted at him and he asked, "How did you like those little posters I made for you?"

"That was you?!" Ezra demanded, surprised because he was almost certain he'd never seen this boy before; he never had a chance to do something to cause him to prank such a cruel joke on him.

He supposed some people were just born mean.

"Back off man," Zare warned dangerously, shuffling so he was between Ezra and the jerk.

"Mind your own business," the jerk snarled back, shoving Zare and Ezra felt anger at the movement; the only thing he hated more than bullies were bullies hurting _other_ people.

"Just leave us alone," Ezra snapped moving to set a hand against the blond boy's broad chest, "We never did anything to you."

He didn't even see the fist until it connected with Ezra's jaw, sending him sprawling against the lockers. They banged upon impact and Zare growled, eyes darkening as he rushed to shove the bully back away from Ezra.

"What is wrong with you jerk?" Zare demanded while Ezra shook his head to clear it.

The bully reared back to strike Zare when someone screamed from down the hall and Ezra felt his heart drop because the situation couldn't possibly get any worst.

The blond boy frowned, shifting blue eyes towards the direction Sabine was sprinting towards them from. Zare took the opportunity to help him upright.

"You okay man?" he asked, voice concerned and Ezra offered a smile in return.

"I'm fine," he reassured, blue eyes watching as Sabine arrived and placed herself between them.

She was smaller than the bully by a couple of inches, her thin frame looking strange compared to the bullies' football player girth. He couldn't possibly be a football player, though, considering none of them seemed to recognize him by name.

"What seems to be your problem?" Sabine demanded, voice ice as she squared her shoulders.

The bully blinked at her before bursting out in laughter and demanded, "You've got to be kidding me! You that much of a coward that you have to hide behind a girl?"

"Who's hiding?" Ezra demanded coming to stand beside Sabine, "You're the one who corners kids in the hall to beat them up."

"And let's not forget those posters who made for a sick laugh," Zare added, coming to stand beside Ezra with an equally fierce scowl and Sabine's expression impossibly darkened.

"_That_ _was_ _you_?" she demanded, voice low and furious and the bully blinked in shock.

"Oh yeah?" he demanded, recovering quickly as he stepped into Sabine's personal space, "What are you going to do about it, _princess_?"

Sabine said nothing and Ezra suspected none of them even saw it coming. The bully certain hadn't, Sabine's fist knocking him on the ground eyes rolled up in the back of his skull.

A pause.

"_Ah_. I miss Zeb," she hissed shaking her hand and Ezra couldn't help but gawk in amazement at her; he knew Zare was doing the same.

"Who are you?" Zare finally asked, awe evident in his voice.

Ezra's look of amazement morphed into a large grin as he turned towards Zare and replied, "She's my sister."


	13. Chapter 13

**To everyone who's still with me on this story with the ridiculously long updates thanks and so sorry about making you wait for so long. That's on me and you all are saints with you abundant amount of patience. ****Fair warning ahead of time, this is where the story takes a slight turn and will stay this way for a while. Also, I hope it clears up some confusion left from previous chapters. If not, sorry.**

* * *

13:

It wasn't until three days after their attack at his parent's house that Ezra realized what had really happened that night and, naturally, he found out by accident.

It was early- too early for anybody to be awake- but he really had to use the bathroom and walked beside Hera's door on the way. That's when he heard the soft whispering from the other side and, at first, he shrugged it off. Hera was a grown woman and able to stay up however late she wanted to.

That is, until the words made sense.

"Is he alright at least?" and Ezra had a sinking feeling on who the _he_ in question could be, ice settling somewhere deep inside him.

Without really meaning to eavesdrop, he crept over to her door to get in a better listening position and- unfortunately- his worries were confirmed.

"Ezra's going to flip when he realizes Tseebo had been attacked. You were supposed to keep him safe," Hera snapped and the lack of answer signaled she was on the phone having a very _private_ conversation about him.

Suddenly, he didn't feel bad for listening in.

"Yes, I know it would've been dangerous if he stayed here but the Inquisitor and most of Imperium followed you over state lines to get to him. … We weren't the target, that's why."

Ezra shuffled the wood creaking under his feet and he sucked in a breath. Hera had stopped talking and he realized he was busted so when she opened her door to frown at him he could only offer an abashed smile and wave.

"What are you doing up?" she asked, hand to her forehead and she looked so much like a _mom_ that it hurt.

"What happened with Tseebo?" Ezra retaliated instead gazing up into green eyes with a stern expression of his own.

"He and the people watching him were attacked," Hera explained after a slight pause, looking unsure and hesitant.

"Is he alright?" Ezra demanded instantly, the cold feeling dropping to below zero as his expression turned helpless. Needy, even.

"He's fine," Hera reassured, mouth a thin line across her face, "but they had to ship him far away. It's bad. They're growing braver, willing to attack in daylight."

"No," Ezra denied flashing back to his parents and then their most recent attack, "They've always been this brave. They've wiped out entire groups of people, gone on mass murders without batting an eye. The question was never when they'd grow a backbone and attack us but when."

Hera's eyes widened as she bent forward to grip his shoulders and after a sharp jostle demanded, "Ezra, what are you talking about?"

She looked concerned which, he figured, was normal. At least, he felt like she should be concerned, with the way Ezra's brain was turning.

"I'm saying," he replied slower and more deliberate as he gazed up in her expression seriously, "that something's happened. Or too much as happened. They're going to keep attacking us until we're wiped out, but what I can't figure out is that they had us all cornered and retreated. Why?"

"Do you think they're toying with us?" she demanded, the idea coming to her for the first time which was weird because Ezra always suspected they were too lax. Kallus knew where they lived, had tried running Zeb over what felt like forever ago.

"I think they're doing more than toying with us," Ezra concluded before biting his bottom lip and concluded, "They're playing cat and mouse. Cornering us and then drawing back only to take that false sense of security away."

Hera seemed to mull it over before hissed, "They pulled back because they still need Tseebo alive."

"What?" Ezra demanded, eyes wide in shock as his attention snapped up to her, "How do you know that? What the heck is going on?"

"Something very bad," she murmured before starting down the hall and Ezra was uncomfortable when he realized she was heading to the door.

"What? Where are you going?" he hissed jogging after her.

The crisp night air bit at his skin as he followed her outside, to the car. Her eyes had gone weird, vague almost, and Ezra was suddenly concerned for her.

"Hey! Whoa!" he shouted rushing over to slam the car door she was opening back into place before turning hopeless eyes up at her, "What do you think you're doing? You can't drive by yourself! We're being targeted!"

"Ezra. Move," and he almost did. Almost.

Instead he straightened his back and met her gaze as he forced out from his cotton mouth, "No."

"No?" she demanded, eyebrow raised in a way only women seemed capable of; it was weird when he realized Hera was capable of such an expression.

"You heard me," he swallowed, nervous again as he forced himself not to fidget, "Imperium is targeting you as much as anybody else and Kanan will have a fit if you suddenly disappeared over night."

"Kanan won't need to know," she reasoned, trying to force him away from the door but he refused to budge.

"What if something were to happen, and you never came home? What if Imperium caught you all alone and kill you just like they did my-" he froze midsentence and her expression snapped back to him.

"Who, Ezra?" she asked but he shook his head in reply, taking a deep gulping breath.

"Nothing," he replied with forced calm, "The point is, I'm not letting you go out alone. Kanan wouldn't either."

"This is too dangerous for you," Hera reasoned but her eyes had lost their crazed gleam as logic started to take over.

"Then let's go back inside and figure this out. What do we know?" Ezra asked.

"Nothing," Hera informed him and though it wasn't unkind it was obvious she was losing her patience, "We know nothing."

"Untrue," Ezra denied, "We know Imperium wants us all dead but Tseebo alive more. That's why they pulled back on their attack on us and why they've left us alone so far. At the moment, we're not important."

"At the moment," Hera repeated before furrowing her brow and finished, "which means we can't stay here."

"But where will we go?" Ezra asked, keeping the door shut when she moved to open it again.

"We'll split up," she said reasonably, "Make a separated target for them."

"What? No!" Ezra protested shaking his head in denial, "We can't split up! It'll just slow them down but they'd get us all eventually. We need to stick this out till the end. New plan."

"Why am I even talking to you about this?" Hera asked with a deep sigh, bending her head over, "I should be speaking with Kanan."

"Okay. Great. There you go. Let's go inside and get some sleep and figure this all out in the morning."

She let him lead her back to the house but turned and said, "We might not have the morning."

And she was right. They didn't.

* * *

Ezra woke to fire.

He blinked, more surprised than anything, before realization struck and he bolted from bed. Zeb was still coming to from across the room as he watched the room burn around him.

"Zeb!" he shouted before breaking out in a fit of coughing.

That seemed to snap the older male into full awareness. One second Ezra was surrounded by gray smoke and orange flame, stumbling around blindly, and the next a dark figure loomed over him. Large hands grabbed and yanked and pulled at his shoulders and he cried out in surprise, lashing out blindly.

"Whoa, kid," Zeb spoke as he bent forward to grasp Ezra tighter, "It's just me. Are you alright?"

"Our room is on fire!" Ezra snapped back which, okay, was kind of obvious but he felt necessary to say. Especially considering Zeb didn't seem all that concerned.

"I'm aware," Zeb said before coughed and demanded, "Come on."

And together they made it out of the room, down the stairs, and out the back door coughing and sputtering access smoke from their lungs. Ezra's eyes burned and it took him a second before he realized where they were at.

Or that they were alone.

"The others didn't make it out," Zeb growled, growing restless beside him and something knotted itself tightly inside Ezra as he realized the guy was going to make a break for back inside.

"No!" he protested, sounding childish even to himself as he reached out to latch onto massive arms, "Don't!"

He was cut off when he started coughing again, doubling over until he was hunched over on the grass coughing his lungs out. Beside him, Zeb worried crouched down. A large hand settled itself against his back, warm and large and more comforting then it should have probably been.

"Come on, kid," Zeb urged, voice thin and tight, "Breathe."

"Don't leave me," Ezra managed, choking on his words as the heat from the house somehow not thawing the cold numbing sensation inside his heart, "Please."

"Alright," and he seemed hesitant but remained at his side as he continued to cough weakly, the longer they stayed there the longer it became apparent that the others weren't coming out.

Ezra felt like crying but the tears didn't do anything besides stick under his eyelids, as his coughing finally calmed down. Beside him, Zeb was tense as he stared up at the flames.

"I have to go find them," he reasoned as he rose to his feet, Ezra too weak to stop him.

He managed a strangled groan of protest before the house seemed to implode and he heard when his skull cracked ground, a ringing sound echoing in his ears.

He groaned, blinking black away, as he realized Zeb was back to hovering over him and his mouth was moving but nothing was coming out. At least, Ezra couldn't _hear_ anything come out.

Panic enveloped him as he struggled for purchase on the other man's ashen clothes while he screamed but he was deaf to even his own voice. He felt his heart quickened as his breaths turned to small rasps as panic enclosed around him.

It wasn't fair.

The world wasn't fair. He was much too young to be losing his other family in a _fire_. A fire he suspected, that wasn't accidental.

He shouted something, though he wasn't sure what. The words seemed to make sense to Zeb as his eyes widened and he scooped him up like a baby before sprinting around to get a better look from the other side of the house.

Sabine was there, seemingly unharmed though not alone. Several other people Ezra didn't recognize were standing there, holding her back, and she was screaming something tears streaking her features. Zeb tensed.

Gently, Zeb set him on the ground and said something that resembled, "Stay here," before taking off towards them.

The strangers didn't even have a chance, Zeb knocking them out before checking to make sure Sabine was alright. Ezra certainly hoped she was, having grown quite fond of her.

He shifted, groaning at the sudden pain that caused, but it came as more of a relief that he was starting to regain his hearing. He blinked again, aware that Sabine and Zeb were headed back towards him and he shuffled to his feet, swaying.

"Ezra!" Sabine practically screeched as she grabbed onto his shoulders, eyes wide with panic, "What's happening?"

"We're under attack," Zeb explained for him, voice a calm that didn't match his eyes as he gently pried her away and glanced back at their still smoldering home.

"What? Why?" she demanded, sounding lost as she gazed at Zeb for an explanation.

"They want to start a war," he spoke in a patient voice as he turned to eye both of them, "with Kanan and Hera and everyone else they've been keeping from us."

"How can they start a war if we're all dead?" Sabine asked, calmer than before as she reached out to grasp Ezra's wrist tightly.

He let her, ignoring her even when he was certain she was about to crush his bones.

"They don't care what happens to us," Zeb sighed, eyes lost and sad as he glanced at their home, "They want the three of us dead."

"But Kanan and Hera-"

"Left several hours ago. They woke me up when they left," Zeb reassured and it came as a relief that they hadn't been caught in the explosion. That they were still alive.

Beside him, Sabine suckered in a breath as she focused on the house and hissed, "They want to give them a reason to fight."

_Then_ it made sense.

Neither Kanan nor Hera were aggressive, which would've worked if the people who wanted them dead just wanted them dead. The problem was that they didn't just want that. They wanted them to hurt, to go down cursing them, and the only way to do that would be if they took their reason _not_ to fight aggressively.

"Should we call them? Make sure they know we're alright," Ezra asked feeling dizzy as the adrenaline faded and smoke in his lungs was making itself known.

"No," Zeb denied shaking his head, "They'll probably all have us bugged by now. We need to make sure they _think_ they've succeed."

"But Kanan and Hera," Ezra protested.

"We'll have to figure out where they disappeared to and go there," Zeb offered and it was amazing how quickly he took charge; then Ezra remembered who his family had been and figured it wasn't all that amazing as it was generic.

Down the street, sirens wailed.

* * *

Ezra woke up with the sun, shining brightly down on him.

He groaned, lifting an arm to block the unwanted rays from hitting his face as he rolled over. Then he remembered what happened, where they were at and he bolted upright, eyes seeking out the others.

Zeb was already awake though Ezra had a sneaking suspicion he'd never gone to sleep. Sabine was curled up beside him, arm cushioning her head as she continued to breathe deeply. A glance around ensured that they were still in an old alley Zeb drug them too once they heard the sirens.

He yawned, stretching tense arms over his head never once thinking he'd have to sleep on the streets since he had been adopted. Yet there he was, growing sense of discomfort from sleeping on cold concrete caused.

"Do you think Hera and Kanan went home yesterday?" Ezra finally whispered, cautious of Sabine still sleeping.

"Undoubtedly," Zeb grunted equally as soft as he seemed to eye Ezra strangely before asking, "Are you feeling alright?"

"Fine," Ezra replied rubbing a fist in his eyes, "Though I must admit that I didn't miss this," he gestured around him at the alley and Zeb's eyes softened as he seemed to understand.

"Yeah, well, hopefully you won't ever have to if this all turns out okay," the larger male said and Ezra didn't miss the way he said 'if,' not 'when.'

Ezra just nodded, fists curled at his sides as he thought of Kanan and Hera and how they'll be so distraught when they realize their beloved home burnt down, taking the three kids they took in with it. The thought was too much to bare and he had to distract himself by walking down the alley to peek around the edge.

From where he could see, it was Imperium free.

A hand closed around his shoulder and he jumped, spinning around only to feel dumb when it was just Zeb eyeing him strangely. Ezra took a deep breath, calming his racing nerves.

"How can you be so calm?" Ezra demanded once he trusted himself to speak again.

"Whatever do you mean?" Zeb asked, blinking down at him at what Ezra assumed was surprise.

"All of this," Ezra explained with a wave of his hand, "Does it not freak you out? They burnt down our home to try and kill us. For whatever reason they want Hera and Kanan to fight them and you have no idea who you can and can't trust."

Understanding flashed across the older male's expression as he reassured darkly, "Oh, believe me, it freaks me out. _A_ _lot_."

"What are you two talking about?" Sabine's sudden voice asked as she walked over to them, awake and rubbing groggy eyes with the back of her hand.

"Nothing important," Zeb reassured gazing back out on the street, "and since you two are both finally up we've got to get moving before people start waking up."

They followed him down the streets, weaving in and out of abandoned alleys when they froze at a low growling noise. Ezra blinked at the hunched over figure pacing from somewhere amongst all the shadows, bent over threateningly.

"Zeb?" Sabine hissed as he unconsciously moved between the two of them and the newest threat.

"Stay behind me and run when I tell you too," he growled.

Ezra squinted at the growling figure before recognition struck and he asked, "Chopper?"

Immediately, the growling stopped and the dog stepped out of the shadows. It eyed the three of them warily and Ezra figured once he got out he must have bolted, feeling bad when he realized he hadn't even gave him a second thought.

Sabine seemed to brighten, rushing past Zeb to pet the dog affectionately. Zeb groaned, rolling his eyes, and Ezra stayed behind him watching with curious blue eyes.

"Chopper, do you know Hera and Kanan are?" Sabine asked him, peering seriously into his dark eyes.

Ezra noticed Chopper stiffen before relaxing again in a way that could only mean '_no_.' His heart sank at the implication, turning back to Zeb awaiting for further instructions.

"What now?" he asked out loud, staring intently at his friend.

Zeb's brow furrowed as he thought for a moment before he straightened and decided, "We have to go somewhere safe. For all we know, Hera and Kanan could be halfway across the state by now."

"They wouldn't leave us though," Sabine protested, "especially not Chopper."

"It doesn't matter," Zeb growled rubbing his forehead, "We can't risk seeking them out without revealing that we're not dead and putting them in even more danger then they already are."

"Isn't there anyone we can trust, though?" Ezra asked, a growing sense of helplessness overcoming him, "Anyone at all?"

"Not that I can think of," Zeb grunted with a shake of his own head before he paused and added, "and I don't think that we can stay here either. Not when all those Imperium creeps that will certainly come in."

"What?" Sabine asked, straightening up to eye them with lost eyes, "Why?"

"They want a war," Zeb explained and something in his eyes concerned Ezra, "and every war needs a battleground."

Ezra swallowed.

This was very, very bad.


	14. Chapter 14

14:

They ended up in a motel near the outskirts of town, having to buy two rooms since Sabine was a girl and it just seemed morally wrong to force her to share. Surprisingly enough, it had been Zeb who first suggested that, Ezra quickly agreeing while Sabine reassured them both that they don't need to waste so much money on her until she finally relented but took Chopper to make it fair.

Ezra knew it wasn't a waste.

She deserved her own room and after a quick shower, Ezra was starting to feel better. The hot water seemed to wake something inside of him, permitting feeling back in all his tired and sore muscles.

He ended up in it longer than he meant to, and when he finally exited it was to Zeb's upset glower. He blinked, frightened momentarily by such an expression before he inched by him with a forced grin. Zeb caught him on his arm on his way by.

"How are you feeling?" the older male asked, refusing to meet his gaze, and Ezra actually blinked in dumb shock.

There was no that was _concern_ in the older male's voice.

"Fine," Ezra reassured testing out Zeb's grip on him by shuffling uncomfortably, "What about you? That was you home you just watched burn down."

"Home's a relative term," Zeb grunted, releasing him, "I'm just happy none of you got hurt."

Which, by an extent, included Ezra.

His heart warmed slightly at the expression of affection, still not yet used to being cared for. Or, rather, he was slowly getting there. He was much more exceptive of it then he had been before.

"Thanks," and Ezra meant it, "I'm glad you're alright too."

Zeb grunted, head still bowed, and Ezra watched as he hurried in their bathroom to shower.

Ezra spent the time Zeb was in the shower lounging around the room lazily, flipping through the channels on the cracked screen of their TV before growing bored and started rifling through the desks. They were all empty save for an old copy of a Bible and some pens he seriously doubted worked.

Thirty minutes later, Zeb exited the bathroom still dripping wet and flimsy towel wrapped around his waist revealing a chiseled chest defined with muscle. Ezra choked at the sight, hands immediately reaching up to cover his eyes as he shouted something about putting clothes on.

"Oh, don't get your knickers in a twist," Zeb growled and Ezra could hear him rolling his eyes in exasperation, "We're both dudes."

"Yeah but I'm still young and growing. That just seems unnaturally cruel," Ezra protested, unmoving from his spot on the bed face buried in both of his hands, "So for Pete's sake, _put some clothes on_."

"Alright. Jeez. I didn't know you'd be such a baby about it," Zeb grumbled and Ezra heard him shuffle around the room as he redressed.

Ezra kept both his hands firmly over his eyes until he was 100% certain, Zeb was fully clothed. When he finally removed them from his face, it was to the sight of Zeb still glowering at him.

"What?" Ezra asked in a challenging voice, "I don't want to see you half-naked. Sue me."

Another growl as the glare (impossibly) intensified causing Ezra to shuffle uncomfortably but he remained rooted in his point. They weren't _that_ close yet.

Sabine knocked then, finally relieving the boys from their glaring match, and Zeb went to let her in. Chopper was at her heels, gazing around the room like he was searching for Hera.

"I see you two have made yourself at home," Sabine noted with a smug sort of expression as she crossed her arms over her chest to observe the both of them, though the way her hair seemed darker than before revealed that she too took advantage of the shower.

After all, they had all still smelt of smoke from the fire.

The thought of his room- his house- burning caused Ezra to suck in an uncomfortable breath as he resisted the urge to double over and just sob. Instead he sat a bit straighter as he took in Sabine then the room around him.

The motel wasn't all that impressive. It was kind of crappy and he would've considered it dangerous if he wasn't with Zeb and Sabine- two of the toughest people he's ever known. The walls were colored an ugly coco brown color whereas the ceiling was mustard yellow, chipped and peeling. However, it was a step up from sleeping on the streets.

Zeb picked up the remote Ezra had discarded earlier to idly flip through the channels while Sabine made herself comfortable beside Ezra on his bed. He tensed but figured it was alright since Chopper was on it too. After all she was practically his sister and wouldn't do anything to hurt him.

The fire just had his nerves all frayed.

"Wait! Go back!" Sabine suddenly shouted, practically leaping from her spot to force Zeb to turn back to the news channel he just passed.

There really hadn't been any need, Zeb obediently went back and then immediately tensed skin going white as he fumbled with the volume. Ezra glanced back at the screen, tensing too as he recognized the burnt outline of their house a news reporter's voice filtering in through the speakers.

"-unsure of any casualties," they were saying which was equal parts good and bad since no one knew they survived but they weren't positive they were dead either, "Witnesses reported the flames sometime during the middle of the night, police immediately reaching the scene. They said no one made it out to the lawn though no signs of any bodies have been found."

"This is bad," Sabine interrupted the reported, eyes glued to the screen, "They'll start looking for us soon."

Which- Ezra didn't need to be informed- wasn't good.

"Should we contact Hera and Kanan now?" he asked worried about how the two adults will react when they realize their home is gone along with the possibility of the people inside.

It would crush them in a way people don't ever overcome from.

They might even do something incredibly stupid.

"No," Zeb denied shaking his head, "We can't risk calling them."

"But there's got to be some way," Ezra protested though he knew it was futile.

"No," and that time it was Sabine, face etched in pain as she ducked her expression and shook her head sadly, "Zeb's right. We'll have to figure out where they are."

Which was easier said than done.

After combing through ever lead they could think of, they came up with nothing and the sun was threatening to fall by the time they managed to sneak back in the motel, weary of the potential of lurking Imperium.

Ezra sighed, exhausted as he flopped back on his bed, watching Zeb move around the room restlessly. He must realize the pressing urge to find their missing friends as soon as possible.

"This doesn't make any sense," he grumbled under his breath and Ezra hummed in agreement, sitting upright on his elbows.

"We need to think of this logically," Ezra urged, "Where would they go. Surely they had a plan in case Imperium ever attacked them."

"That's just the thing, though," Zeb growled with a slight shake of his head, "They're not at _any_ of those places."

"Then Imperium must have gotten them," Ezra reasoned, "or they bolted when they saw the fire and figured we were all dead."

Both very real- _frustrating_\- possibilities.

"I just don't understand," Zeb grunted, burying his face in his hands as he seemed to urge a solution to come to him, "I don't know what to do."

"Relax. You'll figure something out. I'm almost certain of it," Ezra reassured lightly before lying on his bed and allowed sleep to overcome him.

* * *

Ezra was woken by shuffling and he blinked bleary eyes open to see Zeb moving around the room restlessly.

He groaned, sitting upright as he narrowed his gaze in the darkness. That's when he realized something was off about the way Zeb was shuffling around. Like he wasn't all the way there as he stumbled around the room for something.

"Zeb?" Ezra asked with a yawn as he sat further up and was surprised when Zeb's head whipped over to him, eyes half lidded, and realization struck instantly.

Sleepwalking.

Zeb was sleepwalking.

Ezra frowned, wondering why Zeb never seemed to have been before but- then again- he might've been too caught up with himself to have bothered to notice. It wasn't like he was a _light_ _sleeper_, after all.

Zeb's sleeping form turned back to whatever he was doing, shuffling through something by the TV.

"Zeb, what are you doing?" Ezra asked, going to climb out of bed when Zeb twisted back to him and practically leapt the rest of the distance between them.

"_Shut_ _up_," Zeb growled as he gripped the sheets tightly, "or you'll give us away and they'll find us. I don't want them to find us."

Ezra was confused but nodded anyways, slipping out from the bed to go over to where Zeb was fumbling with something in the dark. He didn't miss the way his movements were slow and jerky, while he seemed to claw at the carpet.

"Uh… Zeb," Ezra whispered then, worried about the way the older male's fingers were starting to turn red, "I think you should stop."

"If I stop now then they'll kill us!" Zeb exclaimed, turning to glare at Ezra and the boy finally had enough.

He reached out to force Zeb to stop which was a mistake.

Zeb struck him across the face, sending him flying against the bed. He blinked bleary eyes as Zeb seemed to finally awaken from his dream state.

"What?" he asked in confusion as Ezra recovered to crawl over to him reassuringly.

"You were sleepwalking, buddy," he explained lightly touching his shoulder blades comfortingly, "Or sleep shuffling. I don't really know."

"Oh."

And the word sounded so lost, so desperate, that it made Ezra's chest ache as he clenched his hands in tight fists at his sides. His head throbbed from where Zeb struck him but he pushed it back for the sake of comforting the older male before him.

"Any idea what you were trying to do?" Ezra inquired after a long pause, wanting to help but unsure on how at the moment.

"It happened before," Zeb explained, "When Hera and Kanan first took me in. I think it has something to do with the massacre. PTSD or something. It eventually went away but I guess it's back now that I'm feeling threatened once more."

Ezra swallowed, unable to imagine, as he reached up to lightly touch his shoulder as he urged comfort into his friend. It wasn't often he got to be the strong one when it came to these people, and he was willing to relish every moment of it.

"I won't let anything happened to you," he promised, meaning every word.

He won't just like he won't let anything happen to Sabine or Chopper or Hera or Kanan. He'll make sure that they all made it out of this in one piece and if that meant stopping Imperium then he'll do it. Logically, of course, he knew that was close to impossible but for these people he was willing to _try_.

That's all there was to it, really.

Zeb, evidently, disagreed.

"Don't make promises you can't keep," he whispered softly, ducking his head, "We're probably not all going to make it out of this one."

"_Don't_ say that," Ezra protested shaking his head firmly, "We _will_. Just wait and see."

* * *

The next morning was when they caught their break.

Sabine had gone out for a breakfast run when she suddenly rushed back, the door jumping off its hinges as she forced it open.

At first both Ezra and Zeb jumped, expecting her to be under attack, but she was grinning broadly eyes practically sparkling. She glanced at Zeb, then Ezra as Chopper forced himself in the room behind her, wagging his tail in an excited motion.

"What?" Zeb asked, slower on the uptake as Ezra as he stiffened- ready to attack.

Ezra flashed back to last night and knew instinctively that Zeb wasn't entirely to blame. All of this was reminding him a little too much of the massacre and _no_ _one_ could make it through losing their family a second time.

"I think I know where they're at," Sabine babbled and it didn't need to be clarified on whom '_they'_ were.

"What?" Zeb asked, equally as excited now as he jumped from his bed to rush over to her and grip both her shoulders tightly, "Where?"

"Whoa," Sabine protested off guard as she twisted out of Zeb's grip, "Calm down. I don't know an exact location but I was getting breakfast when I heard a couple of people talking about how upset Hera looked earlier."

"You think she went to the same place?" Zeb asked, suspicious now.

"Why not?" she asked with a shrug, "It was her favorite place to eat. I was kind of hoping to see her there."

Zeb looked crossed between hitting her for being so dumb and relieved at finally having a lead. Ezra pushed back his own suspicious feeling that this was a little too easy as he joined them by the doorway.

"What are we waiting for?" he asked excitedly, "Let's go!"

They did without a second glance back.

In hindsight, Ezra should've listened to his gut.

* * *

The city was dangerous now with all the Imperium members lurking around but they were careful as they snuck back in.

They started at the restaurant Sabine went to and were planning on to work themselves from there. Unfortunately, they never even got the chance.

They walked in the front doors only to be ambushed by, undoubtedly, Imperium. Ezra cried out as he was grabbed from behind, lifted off the ground in an iron grasp. Sabine and Zeb in similar predicaments.

It wasn't hard to figure out from there what had happened.

They had figured out that they had survived and had set up an ambush into _tricking_ them in coming to them and they fell for it hook, line and sinker.

Sabine cried out as she was pinned down, struggling in vain, and the only comfort Ezra could find was when he didn't catch sight of Chopper. The gang seemed to always forget about the dog.

"I've got to admit," Kallus's cold voice admitted as he suddenly appeared in view, strolling over to them with a malicious smile across his face, "You're a tough bunch to catch."

"Jerk off," Zeb growled, angry at so easily being trapped as he squirmed in his own captor's grasp.

"And as pleasant as always," Kallus murmured gazing distastefully at Zeb before narrowing on Ezra and announced as he gestured towards him, "Keep him alive. We can use him to lure that little snake out," it didn't take long for Ezra to figure out they were talking about Tseebo, "but the other two you can get rid of."

"No!" Ezra screamed as he jerked, willing himself free when Sabine and Zeb were forced backwards towards the back.

It was no used, though. He was trapped.

The lights flickered out about the same time the windows imploded on themselves and Ezra was immediately released in the confusion. He spun around, lashing out with his leg against the man that had been holding him before rushing over to where Zeb and Sabine had managed to overcome their own captors.

"What's happening?" Ezra screamed, answered when a dog howled and Zeb's face brightened.

"Come on," he urged latching onto both their wrists and sprinting out the backdoor before meeting up with Hera in the front, Chopper at her side, as she continued throwing what appeared to be homemade bombs in the broken windows.

Sirens blared somewhere in the distance.

"Hera!" Zeb exclaimed in relief upon seeing her as he reached out to jerk her away, "We've got to go."

She followed without complaint and they ended up back in the motel, faces pale and flushed as they gathered what little things they had to run again. Hera was panting, back against the door as Zeb and Sabine hurried to gather what they needed.

"Hera?" Ezra asked reaching out to touch her arm in concern, "What happened? Where's Kanan?"

Because they guy was still missing and Ezra's heart ached for them to be whole once more. To be complete.

She gazed at him, eyes frantic, as she gasped out, "Ezra, Kanan's gone. They got him when he went back to the house."


	15. Chapter 15

15:

Ezra felt cold at Hera's words, a chill creeping down his spine as he could only gape up at her. Behind him, Zeb and Sabine continued with their frantic movements as they hurriedly gathered certain things from the hotel: soups, shampoo and other things Ezra was certain they weren't allowed to take.

Not that it mattered or that he'd protest all the loudly.

After all, he was a thief once too.

"Ezra?" Hera asked, hands reaching out to clasp against his shoulders tightly as he wobbled slightly.

There was no way Kanan- one of the first people Ezra's ever felt comfortable around enough to open up- was gone. Just like that.

He felt the sudden powerful urge to throw up.

"Ezra?" Hera repeated, giving him a slight shake and he blinked as he cleared his vision and came back to the present.

Hera was still there, as were Zeb and Sabine and Chopper, and Kanan still wasn't. Not that he'd ever want to trade any of them out for the man, he just couldn't imagine a life without him in it. That's how he knew he allowed himself to get in too deep, that he grew too close with his new foster family.

"Ezra?" and that time Ezra blinked and answered.

"Huh?" he asked, seemingly disoriented as he locked eyes with her and demanded, "Hera, how?"

He didn't elaborate but she seemed to understand all the same. Perhaps that was one of the reasons Kanan was so crazy about her, though Ezra knew the man would never admit that out loud.

"He went back to the house after we first heard of it," she explained squeezing his shoulders uncomfortably tight, "I told him not to but he was so concerned about you three. He needed to know for _certain_ rather or not you had all died."

"Hera, it's okay," Ezra broke in as her voice cracked, "I know you tried your best. Sorry we made you two worry."

"Right," she nodded, releasing his shoulders and huffed exasperatedly, "Now it's his time to make us all worry."

It was said with nothing but affection and Ezra straightened his posture and nodded. The only thing he could think of in that moment was finding where they took Kanan and how they were going to get him back because they _were_ going to get him back.

"Hera? Ezra? You ready to go?" Zeb's voice interrupted and Ezra turned to see he had bundled a bunch of stuff together with the covers from the bed. Beside him he noted Sabine had done much the same thing.

Hera raised an eyebrow at them but otherwise said nothing.

She wasn't going to protest stealing, then, which meant they were in much bigger trouble then Ezra originally thought. Imperium, for some reason, were getting desperate and they didn't like that their fire failed to kill them.

Though, for some reason, they didn't seem to want Ezra dead back at the restaurant.

Chopper barked, nudging his leg with his massive head and Ezra stumbled as he realized the others were heading towards the door. He hurried after them, the door slamming shut behind them.

"What's first?" Sabine asked Hera as they hurried through the large trees lining the main road, "Surely you have a plan."

"I do," Hera swallowed and nodded before looking at each of them and saying, "We need to find shelter. Anything at this point. Then we'll worry about Kanan."

They nodded before following her out to the words where they hurried at a quick pace, keeping in the shadows of the trees. At one point, Ezra was even able to convince himself that everything would be okay. They'd find safety then rescue Kanan and everything would be okay again.

He should've known better.

Chopper heard it first, slowing to a stop before hunching his shoulders and growled in a low throaty way that sent chills down Ezra's spine. He stopped too, suddenly aware of voices speaking and it didn't take much longer after that to realize they were talking about them.

_Imperium._

"Come on Chopper," Ezra urged as he bent over to jerk on the dog's collar but Chopper refused to move.

The voices neared and Ezra could see their dark outlines now as they moved down the street. They were carrying guns and Ezra knew they wouldn't hesitate to use them.

"Chopper," Ezra hissed crouching beside the large dog and jerking with a rushed ferociousness; they really needed to get out of there.

Chopper wouldn't be moved, though, and Ezra felt despair crawl up his spine and threaten to swallow him whole as the voices and figures drew too close and he had no choice but to bury his face in Chopper's fur as he willed his heart to calm down. It was beating so loud he was almost afraid it'd get him caught.

"Hey!" one of the voices shouted and Ezra froze as they exclaimed, "What's that over there in the woods?"

Ezra perked up, aware that they were looking in their direction.

The end of the gun seemed to sparkle in the sunlight and Chopper must have finally gotten the hint to run because he suddenly _bolted_. Ezra kept his mouth shut to prevent him from screaming as he took off after him, deeper among the forest.

He stopped when he heard his name.

Spinning with a wild expression, he tensed ready to fight but relaxed when he saw it was only Hera. Beside her stood Chopper.

"Oh. Hey," he panted as he felt the adrenaline ebb away from his tired bones and muscles.

"Hey," she greeted as she continued to gaze at him worriedly before she sighed and asked, "Is everything alright? You just suddenly took off."

"Imperium soldiers were on the streets," Ezra explained, panic still lined in his voice, "They're looking for us and they have guns. Huge guns."

"Yes. I'm aware," Hera reassured with a nod and behind her Zeb and Sabine came into view, red faced as Zeb glared down at him.

"What was that kid?" he demanded angrily.

Ezra opened his mouth to answer when Chopper suddenly started growling.

They all froze.

Somewhere in the distance, a twig snapped.

"Hide. Hurry," Hera urged in a hushed whisper as she leapt down to where Ezra was standing, jerking him to stand beside her under the overhang he'd scrambled down during his bolt for safety.

Sabine and Zeb soon followed, Chopper still growling softly.

"We forgot the dog," Zeb cursed as he gazed up to where Chopper stood out of sight, "Blasted thing is going to get us caught."

"He hasn't yet," Sabine noted though she was following Zeb's gaze and looked equally concerned.

"_Chopper_," Hera hissed like he was her child, "Come down here now."

Chopper did and had just enough time to squeeze himself between Hera and Ezra before voices could be faintly heard. Ezra tensed, recognizing them from the road.

"I swear, it came this way," someone said in a voice that sounded amazed that there was nothing there.

"Are you sure it wasn't just a spooked deer?" his partner demanded in an irate tone, "Scaring it off with this thing."

"Ow. No," they snapped angrily, "I swear it was running on two legs."

"You seriously think it's one of those rebels?" they demanded in an incredulous voice, "Why would they be dumb enough to get caught by you? They've proven to be elusive so far."

They were closer now than they had been before and Ezra bit into his bottom lip as he squeezed his eyes together tightly. He leaned his head back, allowing it to be pillowed against the hard surface he was trying to disappear into.

He swore they were right on top of them now.

Dirt fell in a small waterfall in front of them, Sabine biting the back of her hand as Zeb stared wide-eyed in the direction it fell from.

"See? Nothing there. You're seeing things," the person above them growled and there was a sound of flesh hitting flesh as they smacked them.

"No. I swear. Watch I'll climb down and find them," they protested and scrambled towards the side.

Towards the incline that would lead him to where they were all currently hiding.

_This is it,_ Ezra thought as his heartbeat quickened and he reached out to grip a tight fist in Chopper's fur, _they're busted._

"Hey!"

Ezra's heart froze.

He knew that voice, has heard it in his nightmares before, and from the looks of the others suddenly waxy faces they recognized it also.

The Inquisitor.

"What are you two doing so far away from the others?" he demanded, voice deceptively calm like it seemed back at the baseball park.

"Uh… we thought we saw something," the one that was seconds away from climbing down and discovering them stutter out nervously.

"Oh really?" the Inquisitor demanded, "And now?"

"It was probably nothing," the skeptic reassured, "Just a spooked deer probably. Nothing to concern over, sir."

"I see," the Inquisitor noted before asked, "Paranoid. Convinced that you've seen a person in a deer. How shameful. Are either of you aware of what we do to those who shame our good name?"

Ezra felt something cold start down his chest.

He had a bad feeling he knew where this was headed.

"Uh… no sir," the skeptic forced out nervously.

"Oh, well we punish them of course," the Inquisitor explained like it was obvious and Ezra supposed it was.

Then again, the two soldiers probably knew that. They were just too scared of the Inquisitor to admit it out loud. Out in the open where it could be taken for interpretation. Not that Ezra blamed them. He knew the Inquisitor wasn't a kind person.

"Absolutely," the one that had spotted Ezra agreed quickly, "We're so sorry sir. It won't happen again."

"No. I suppose it won't," the Inquisitor muttered softly and Ezra wished that they would've just left it at that; that they had continued on with their merry little lives and that be that.

They didn't.

Two gunshots rang out back-to-back with each other.

Ezra resisted the urge to gasp as a large object tilted over the edge and landed right in front of him. The head twisted sickeningly in his direction, gazing at him with dead eyes.

Horror filled him as his knees buckled and the only thing keeping him upright was Zeb, who had focused all his attention on him. Ezra glanced up at his friend, a sickened look filling his face as he glanced over Ezra's head at Hera.

Ezra felt weak but strengthened his legs back underneath him.

He suddenly felt _very_ cold.

"Pathetic," the Inquisitor hissed above them and Ezra briefly thought he was talking about him.

Then he realized that he wasn't. That he was talking about the two people he just murdered in cold blood, in the middle of the forest where the only witnesses were the trees. It was _awful_.

They waited, barely breathing, until they were certain the Inquisitor was gone before climbing back up. They were all silent and sickly pale and it took a second before Ezra realized they were all avoiding the bodies of the two soldiers- one tall and skinny while the other was short and round- the Inquisitor had just murdered.

"That's it," Ezra decided in a soft hiss as he clenched his hands at his side and focused on controlling his breathing, "We _really_ need to find Kanan."

* * *

Hera snuck them back in the city, leaving all the supplies they looted in the forest, and it was way past midday by the time they managed to carefully creep back to the burnt skeleton of their home.

They had let it burn until it smoldered, Ezra realized as he stared wide eyed at the house, and no one had bothered to stop them.

"They grabbed Kanan here," Hera explained as they snuck around the back cautious to stay out of sight from everyone, "When he came back to check on you three."

"Sorry," Zeb apologized, sounding regretful as he bowed his head and added, "We should've found a way to contact you earlier."

"No," Hera denied with a firm shake of her head, "I'm glad you didn't. We might all be dead then."

Zeb nodded though he didn't look convinced. Sabine set a comforting hand against his arm before turning her attention towards the house.

"So what now?" she asked and quicker than any of them expected Hera bolted towards the home.

They entered through the back exit and after a thorough search for clues they all came up with nothing. Imperium had just wanted them dead, and Kanan had just wanted to make sure that they were. It was night by the time they made it back to where they left their stuff buried under a pile of leaves.

"What now?" Sabine demanded helplessly as she gazed up at Hera for a plan.

"We wait until morning," Hera replied though Ezra didn't miss the way her voice shook in concern as she glanced behind her before back at them, "We're no good to Kanan if we're half dead on our feet."

They were all too tired to argue and soon Ezra shifted into a deep sleep only to be awoken sometime in the middle of the night by Zeb shifting around.

"Zeb?" he asked remembering the sleepwalking incident and wasn't entirely too fond of the guy to wonder off somewhere by himself.

Ezra sat up, allowing the blanket to pool down to his hips as Zeb shuffled before sitting upright. His face was lit by the moonlight, eyes half-lidded in sleep as he scratched at the ground.

"They're going to find me," he panted, clawing at the ground with a sort of desperation Ezra was unaccustomed to, "and then they're going to kill me."

"No one's going to kill you," Ezra was surprised when Hera said, seemingly appearing from nowhere as she wrapped her arms around the much larger body and whispered, "We won't let it. I won't let it."

"You don't understand," Zeb denied shaking his head and swallowing thickly, "They're all dead. Every single last one of them. I'm next. I always knew I was going to be next."

"No. No you're not," Hera murmured with a kind motherly sort of voice, "You're not going to be next. Do you hear me? You won't."

"But I will. They died because they weak and they died because I was too weak to save them," Zeb protested though he stopped clawing at the ground.

"No. No you're not weak," Hera reassured, "No go back to sleep. Everything will make sense in the morning."

"Promise?" and he sounded too hopeful and young, like a little kid begging for their mother to make everything right in the world.

"Promise."

* * *

Ezra was woken up a second time by movement somewhere by the street. He blinked, still confused from sleep, before he sat up and glanced around to check if anybody else had heard the noise.

None of them seemed to have.

At least, they were still sleeping soundly- even Chopper who was snoring slightly.

Climbing gracefully to his feet, Ezra hurried across the forest silently. He stopped when he reached the end of the trees, crouching down to remain hidden as he gazed out at the streets.

Several Imperium soldiers were walking down the street chattering about how much of a waste it all seemed to have been. They seemed to have searched everywhere and still came up with nothing.

"The Inquisitor isn't going to be happy about this," one of them noted and Ezra tensed at the loathed name but remained silent.

"Forget the Inquisitor, what about that other guy? He's going to sentence us all to death," another one protested and they sounded frightened.

Ezra couldn't imagine a greater evil then the Inquisitor though.

The thought was enough to nearly paralyze him, his thoughts running rampant at the idea that he wasn't the feared man at the top. That he bowed down to someone and followed their every order…

Truly frightening.

"He won't be nearly as rash," a different one protested before swallowed and added as his hands reached up towards his throat, "yet. Hopefully, though, they found something out from the prisoner."

Ezra's ears perked up at that word- _prisoner_. Kanan, they had to be talking about Kanan. Who else could it have been?

Ezra's back straightened as he tensed, watching them disappear down the road. He glanced back at his still sleeping friends, momentarily considering going back and waking them.

It would take too long, he decided as he rose to follow, and there was no definite that Hera would let them go.

"Please forgive me," he whispered taking one last look at them before sprinting in a silent crouch.

* * *

He followed them to an old abandoned apartment building on the far side of town. He watched from the shadows as they all entered through the front door but knew he would need an alternative entrance.

Circling the building once, he found an old fire escape he quickly scaled glancing in all the windows until he found one to an empty room. Luckily, the lock was rusted and broke easily as he slid the pane open, crawling in as stealthily as he could.

The sun had started peaking up from the horizon and Ezra took a moment to steady his breathing. Never in a million years would he have ever guessed he'd be breaking into a building filled with homicidal maniacs.

Once he trusted his heart was at a steady enough rhythm, he hurried out of the room in search of his friend.

The topmost floors were empty and it was the first time he considered that Kanan wasn't there but somewhere else- the thought enough to nearly send him crashing into the ground weakly. He discarded the thought almost instantly and didn't allow it to resurface when the next floor he checked also came up empty.

And the next.

And the next.

"Perhaps he's not here," Ezra muttered when he heard a crashing sound and quickly ducked for cover a split second before two soldiers came into view carrying their guns in loose grasps. They weren't talking, which Ezra thought was strange.

He hurried down the stairs once he was certain they were gone, stopping when he came to the room he had been searching for.

Kanan was there, bloody faced and bound to a chair, but very much alive.

"Kanan," Ezra hissed as he rushed over to start untying the man's bounds, feeling relief wash over him.

Kanan's head jerked before clouded eyes focused on him and he asked, "Ezra? Is that really you?"

Ezra hummed, still cautious about the noise, when the door clanged open and he jumped to his feet in panic. He spun around, heart dropping when he caught sight of the Inquisitor glaring at him from the doorway.

"Ezra Bridger," the man snarled, holding a pistol in a tight grip, "You're quickly becoming a thorn in my side."

"_Ezra_," Kanan gasped, trying to jerk the last remaining ropes keeping him bound to the chair as he stared at them wide eyed.

Ezra glanced at him before back at the Inquisitor, moving so he was standing directly between them. He wasn't going to let him hurt him any longer.

"Unfortunately for you," the Inquisitor noted as he steadied the pistol towards him and practically snarled, "you won't be alive long enough to watch as I _destroy_ you're pathetic group of friends and everyone else bold enough to defy my master."

Ezra swallowed, steadying himself because he knew it was going to hurt.

Behind him, Kanan finally jerked free and leapt out of the chair as if to push him out of the way about the same time the Inquisitor fired the gun. As it turned out, bullets are faster than humans even when they're full of adrenaline.

Something pierced his chest, Kanan's arm jerking him towards the ground a split second later, and blackness enveloped him.


	16. Chapter 16

16:

Once- what now felt like lifetimes ago- Ezra had been scratched by a bullet while he was running to safety and he had thought that that was the worst pain he's ever felt before. He was wrong.

This pain he felt, waking up on the floor with a dull ached that throbbed inside his chest, was a million times worst. It felt like he was dying and he groaned as he tried flopping over only for another spike of pain to twist itself in his insides and he cried out as he collapsed back against the ground.

He reached up, fingers dabbing at the pain and knew he was in shock when he felt nothing when they pulled away red.

Bleeding. He was bleeding, and it _hurt_.

Dying hurt.

"Ezra?" Kanan's worried voice called from somewhere above him, but once Ezra managed to get his eyes to focus he realized the man wasn't even looking at him.

He was looking across the room at a still smirking Inquisitor, a smoking gun in his hands and Ezra realized that he had _shot_ him. Just like he did with those poor guys in the woods and- _hot_ _dang_\- it hurt.

"Kanan?" he managed to force out, blinking sluggish blue eyes as he tried to force his brain to concentrate because he was still bleeding and they weren't out of whatever mess they were in.

That is, unless the Inquisitor had- for some reason- turned over a new leaf and was on their side now. Ezra knew he was delirious then, as he pushed the thought away and tried moving, sitting up, _something_. Anything that wasn't lying there and bleeding out all over the filthy floor.

The pain in the shoulder sent him crashing back to the ground and though he was now gripping the wound tightly he still felt blood leave his body a little too quickly.

It must have been a clean shot, then, going right on through without stopping.

Good, if he wasn't trapped in the middle of a cult/gang thing bleeding and dizzy and he was only _15_. How many 15-year-olds have to worry about this, anyways?

"Ezra, you still with me?" Kanan repeated and Ezra blinked, staring at the man's boots as he tried focusing on words and how to communicate with them.

"I'm… here," he groaned, mouth dry and tongue practically swollen but he somehow managed to force the words out and felt his body relax.

It was cold, and he was in pain and the Inquisitor was still standing there with a malicious smile spread across his face.

It hurt.

He hurt.

Something was _wrong_.

"Kanan?" he asked, blinking and realized Kanan was holding a gun of his own and Ezra wondered how long he had been unconscious because he was almost certain he had been weaponless _before_.

"Relax, Ezra, you're going to be fine," Kanan reassured and though his words meant to soothe, they didn't really.

He was still hurt, bleeding.

_Dying_.

He was dying. At 15.

Who would've thought?

Not him because he was struggling to keep his thoughts in order as it was as he managed to roll up to his knees, fingers digging into the flesh by his wound as he tried stemming the bleeding.

Pointless since the world still seemed to sway and it was a miracle he hadn't suddenly fallen over dead yet.

"Ezra?" Kanan asked, turning for the first time and seemed to realize the condition he was in as his eyes widened in shock and Ezra didn't have enough energy to do anything but sit and stare dumbly.

He was weak.

He was cold.

He wanted to go _home_.

Then he remembered fire and smoke and realized that there was no home to go back to. They were homeless and Ezra was bleeding and he swore someone somewhere was winning the lottery because he was having seriously bad luck.

"Ezra," Kanan repeated and it took him a second before he realized the man must've been trying to get his attention for a while now.

Ezra hummed in reply, too weak to do much of anything else, as he blinked sluggish eyes up at him and even he knew growing tired and sluggish was a bad sign.

"You need to stop the bleeding. Tie something around the wound," the older man informed him and Ezra wondered if bossing him around made him feel in better.

It certainly didn't help improve his mood but, then again, he had been shot and was in incredibly amounts of pain.

"Okay," he agreed, tongue heavy as he glanced around for something to use only for a piece of cloth to be thrown in his face.

He blinked, removing it with shaky hands as he glanced up at Kanan and realized he'd given it to him. Then he remembered his shoulder and wasted no time wrapping the shaking cloth around the wound, knotting it tightly in the back with his teeth.

Now his hands were free but he still felt like curling up to take a million year nap.

"_No_ _napping_," someone snapped in his brain and he blinked because the voice had sounded feminine and very much like his dead mother.

Now he knew he was going crazy.

Or at least, whatever the equivalent was.

"Aw, I don't know how much the boy can take," the Inquisitor mocked suddenly, voice piercing his skull as he struggled to stop the room from spinning, "Maybe I should just put him out from his misery now."

The gun was directed at his skull.

He blinked, feeling his blood freeze over as his heart constricted in on itself and he felt so numb and cold that he couldn't do anything but stare at the weapon with large blue eyes.

Punishment. He must be being punished for something he did and that was why everything that's ever happened to him was happening to him.

What was it called? Karma? Yeah, definitely karma.

Wait, what was he thinking about again?

He couldn't remember and his head was throbbing now.

In front of him, Kanan just tensed and straightened his back as he narrowed the gun at the Inquisitor and growled, "I'm going to stop you."

The Inquisitor just smirked, tilting his head to the side, as he challenged, "You can try."

A gun fired and a split second later Kanan was hauling him up and across the room, ducking him behind a crate in the corner and it took a second before he realized Kanan had been the one who fired. It took a second longer than that for the room to stop spinning.

"Stay here," Kanan demanded, rising to a crouch and readying the gun in his hand.

Ezra didn't even get a chance to ask where he was supposed to go before Kanan fired several more shots and disappeared around the other side of the crate. Ezra groaned, rolling over so he could peak around the edge.

The Inquisitor was gone and from the position Kanan was directed he took a gamble and said the man was hiding too. He was proven right when he peaked around the edge and fired several quick shots, all of which Kanan dodged when he ducked for cover.

The wound in Ezra's shoulder throbbed, causing him to wince as he pulled back to grip the now bloody rag in his hand.

Behind his head, several more shots fired.

"You're a murderer Stein," Kanan growled and Ezra blinked because it must be serious if he was using his real name.

The Inquisitor just chuckled, the sound sending chills down Ezra's spine, as he informed, "Martin Stein died a long time ago."

Ezra looked back around, both men in the same places they were before.

Kanan fired once before the gun clicked uselessly in his hand and he tossed it aside. Behind his hiding place, the Inquisitor laughed again.

"Looks like your all out," he teased rising up to shoot at Kanan, "and I dare say that your boy is running out of time."

Kanan tensed before called out, "Ezra?"

Ezra blinked, realizing he was expecting an answer but found his mouth had stopped working. Most of his body had stopped working and if Kanan didn't hurry up and do something then they'd both be dead. He already guessed that he was half dead anyways.

"No," Kanan gasped and his muscles were tense as he rose from behind his cover and snarled, "Shooting him was a mistake."

"Why?" the Inquisitor mocked as he tilted his head to the side like he didn't quite understand, "because you have no one else to die for you?"

"Because I have nothing left to fear," Kanan informed and Ezra wondered what the heck he was talking about when he hurtled something at the man, catching him off guard.

The Inquisitor ducked, whatever Kanan had thrown at him clattering against the ground uselessly. Kanan was already moving though, closing the last couple of feet between them and struck the man. They disappeared behind the crate and Ezra heard shuffling as Kanan managed to kick the gun away.

The weapon spun, clattering against the wall and the Inquisitor must've finally got the upper hand because Kanan went flying into the crate, smashing it as he laid on his back.

The Inquisitor rose to his feet, going over to retrieve his weapon before he growled, "_Fools_."

That's when Ezra's miracle finally happened.

There was an explosion, rocking the foundation and Ezra whimpered as the shock sent bolts of pain through his arm. Kanan just grinned, or Ezra like to imagine he had, and the Inquisitor's face twisted to something dangerous and ugly as he narrowed his gaze in a glare.

"It's over," Kanan finally said as he rose to his feet and faced the Inquisitor.

"No," the man just protested voice surprisingly even, "You've just unleashed something much, _much_ worst."

He rose the gun to his temple, hand steady.

Ezra blacked out at the sound of a gunshot.

* * *

The grave was well groomed, well cared for, and Ezra felt something twist in his stomach as he traced over the names with his eyes. His parents, gone too soon.

Behind him the others stood and he remembered waking up in the hospital to their concerned eyes and he sighed, arm awkwardly tucked near his chest in the sling. They explained once he was conscious enough to understand how the others arrived and started blowing the building up, which seemed a little extensive but he knew that was the only reason either him or Kanan had survived. He passed out when the Inquisitor killed himself, Kanan carrying him out and he woke up in the hospital.

"So… uh, hi mom and dad," he said knowing Hera was restless to leave- having some friend up north that was willing to help them out; a woman with a weird name- Ashoka something, "So I guess I'm leaving soon. Forever. Kind of strange, actually, and there isn't a day I don't miss you both. I love you. I still do."

"Ezra, we have to go," Hera informed him as she shuffled in the grass uneasily glancing around them.

"Okay," Ezra nodded as he rose to his feet and turned to the headstones to ask, "How are you both anyways? I hope it's good. Bye. I miss you."

Then he turned and followed them out of the graveyard with quick steps. Kanan turned around at the gate, causing him to falter and something warm tickled his chest at the man's words.

"Don't worry about your son, we'll take good care of him," he promised before turning and ushering him out from the graveyard.

Behind them, Ezra swore he heard his parents' laughter echo on the word but that was impossible so he said nothing as they hurried in the car that would take them far away from there.

The laugh seemed to carry on the wind.

**The End**

* * *

**So this is over, thanks to the wonderful support and love of you guys. You have no idea how I'm happy that we finally finished and I'm finally able to chalk this up to being complete and if the ending seemed rushed then I'm sorry but I tried. I hope you enjoyed this ride as much as I did and, unfortunately, this marks the end of my Star Wars Rebels stories. At least, for awhile. Maybe later, when I have less stuff to do.**

**You guys are awesome and have been SUPER supportive and patient and I adore every single one of you guys. Now I'm tired and my face hurts and I'm going to sleep forever.**


End file.
